Bottom of the Barrel
by sakanascales876
Summary: The beginning is usually the most important part, but is also usually the first thing forgotten. 35 drabbles written for LJ's community: Usako Mamoru: A Love Like No Other's annual anniversary challenge.
1. 1a: Locker

Ack! I haven't posted anything in a while! I'm sorry guys, but I've been working on this drabble challenge for LJ: Usako_Mamoru: A Love Like No Other. Check it out when you can! There are some really good drabbles on there! Since I've got these completely done save for the three left that I have to write today, I'll be posting them frequently as I work on the next chapter of Standing Aside and Never Walk it Off. Probably every other day, if I can.

Hope you like 'em! But keep in mind, these were all written in the expanse of a month, so errors might be there.

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**Bottom of the Barrel**

First Period: Homeroom

1a) Locker

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"I dare you to do it."

"No."

Motoki gave him the puppy dog eyes. "Come on, Mamoru-kun! It's _right there_!"

Mamoru scowled as he shoved the white gym towels into the school's washing machine, his nose wrinkling in disgust at how middle school kids could smell so horrible. He barely touched them with the tips of his fingers. "Are you sure this is the _only_ activity available for community service hours? Can't you have picked something…cleaner?"

"Be a man!" Motoki grunted with a grin, tossing a stinky towel at Mamoru's face. "This is the stench of champions!"

"And it's also the stench that's going to do me in," Mamoru said angrily, slamming the lid on the washer and starting the machine.

Motoki gave him a pleading stare, pointing dramatically over to the row of eighth grade lockers. "But her locker is right over there! Can't we just take a peek?"

"No."

"Come on!"

"No; it's not right." Obstinate, he walked swiftly away from his friend with a clean load of towels, his face showing nothing but attentiveness to the shelves he stacked them on.

Motoki heaved a sigh and then slowly grit his teeth. "What if I triple-dog-dared you?"

"I'd say no."

"You're such a kill-joy, man," Motoki grumbled before lifting up a pile of towels. "I've got to get these dried. Don't have too much fun without me." And with that, Motoki was gone.

Mamoru crept over to the door and peered in the hallway to see that his best friend was gone. Satisfied, he zoomed down the row of lockers, searching frantically for hers.

Tsukino Usagi.

He practically wrenched the small metal door off its hinges, eager to see what was inside. But he didn't expect to see what he saw. There before him, was a picture of him sitting at the Arcade, sipping at his coffee that almost took up the entire inside of the door. Mamoru gaped at the heart-shaped magnets and lip gloss marks all over the sleek paper that were suspiciously close to his face, and the bubbly print in the corner that he could barely make out to read as 'My Mamo-chan!' A lump caught in his throat, a rosy hue settling into his cheeks.

"Where are the drier sheets?" Motoki bellowed, his clumsy footsteps echoing in the hallway. With panic, Mamoru slammed the locker closed, the entire row rattling from the force before he dashed back over to his pile of towels, hastily fumbling with them just as Motoki walked in, eyebrows raised.

He grinned. "You looked, didn't you?"

Mamoru quickly shook his head. Motoki's grin soon morphed into a wicked smile.

"Then why's that locker door open?" he asked innocently, pointing over to the row of lockers.

Confused, Mamoru turned. A lone door close to Usagi's was opened, displaying a gaggle of disgusting pink fuzz everywhere. He didn't open that one!

Motoki began to snigger loudly, walking down to the locker with a swagger in his step. "Let's see what dirty little Mamoru-kun was looking at in Usagi-chan's locker!" He turned back and wiggled his eyebrows. "Let's hope it's something _good_."

Mamoru began to shuffle nervously from foot to foot as Motoki began rummaging through it, afraid of what he would find in this stranger's locker. He heard his friend gasp, and reach into the back, pulling out a long string that eventually formed a bra that was wider around than his arm was long, and was stained with a few holes in it.

"Mamoru!" he cried with shock on his face. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you?"

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Let me know what you thought! And I hope you're not too made about the one and a half month vacation!  
Until next time...

-Fishyscales ;)


	2. 1b: Uniform

So I've decided to put one of these up every other day, but there might not be one on Friday because I'll be on the road for a majority of the day so if I _did_ post it, it would be at night sometime. Also, thank you to my reviewers. And to StarryNight101: there won't be another update until I finish posting these...please don't kill me...!  
To anyone who actually reads these author's notes things: Enjoy.

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**Bottom of the Barrel**

1b) Uniform

by sakanscales876

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"What-,"

A firecracker landed near his feet, exploding into a hundred different pieces.

"The hell-,"

Sailor Jupiter whooped and gave an enthusiastic high-five to Venus, who was nearly in tears from laughter.

"Are you girls doing?"

Tuxedo Kamen winced from the throbbing ache in his foot from the recent explosive. He didn't even want to look down and see what remained of his poor shoe, which with his luck probably had a gaping hole in it now. He glanced over at Sailor Moon, wondering what part she had in this madness, but she was trying desperately to hold back a smile and look sympathetic.

"I'd move if I were you, Kamen!" Jupiter shouted, reaching down into a plastic bag near her boots and pulling out a huge bottle rocket. "I've got a lot of these babies left and I'm not leaving until I've blown just about everything up!"

Mars sparked the wick with her fingertips, and Tuxedo Kamen was forced to dive out of the way. He landed on the ground with a painful grunt before glowering at the girls who were laughing hysterically at his pain.

"So, there's no youma?" he roared, pushing himself onto his feet and storming over to them.

"No," Mars answered. "But I wish there was! We'd smoke 'em with these puppies!"

He looked down into the bag of fireworks with shock. "Are these even legal?"

Jupiter waved her hand dismissively. "Since when have we ever done anything that was legal? We destroy government property every day, we shoot magic out of our hands, and we fight monsters that kill people by sucking their energy dry on a regular basis. Why not add arson to that list? Plus, these are just fireworks; we can't do _that _much harm."

Mercury groaned in frustration, and Tuxedo Kamen couldn't help but feel sorry for the only rational one of them. "You can't shoot bottle rockets in the park at night, Jupiter! Where did you even buy these? They aren't legal in Japan!"

"I know a guy," Jupiter said with a shrug, reaching into the bag and pulling out what looked like a stick of dynamite. "Hey, let's get away from the trees to light this one off."

She pulled Mercury by the arm. "You can light this one, Merc!"

He heard her groan, and Mars and Venus happily skipped behind them, leaving him alone with Sailor Moon. Once they were out of earshot, he turned to her with a frown.

"Why are you-,"

"We're celebrating."

He raised an eyebrow. "Celebrating what?"

"Well," she began. "I can't really tell you; Secret identities and whatnot."

He nodded in understanding, knowing he would have done the same. Her hair was whipping around in the wind, gently tapping against his face in a soothing rhythm. Tuxedo Kamen watched her as she gazed at her teammates with a bit of pride and happiness.

"Are they always like this?" he asked as he watched Mars angrily instruct Mercury how to use a lighter. The blue Senshi looked like she was about to vomit from the pressure.

Sailor Moon awkwardly looked up at him, a timid smile on her face. "Yeah, but I'm a lot worse."

"You don't seem like it."

"I'm just tired today," she explained, yawning for effect. "But believe me if I wasn't Mars would've strapped me to one of those things by now."

He heard a whizzing past his ear, and then another. Soon, there was a barrage of tiny bottle rockets shooting at them. Sailor Moon gave one of her deafening shrieks and latched onto him, nearly knocking him over. Tuxedo Kamen winced as a couple of the rockets flew into him, positive that there would be welts there in the morning. Trying to shield her as much as he could, Kamen turned so most of them hit him instead.

After a few minutes, the attack finally stopped, and but Sailor Moon still clenched at him, her dainty figure shaking in his arms.

"Holy crud! Way to go, Mercury!" Jupiter cried, giving the blue Senshi a pat on the back. Mercury gave a smile, but still looked like she was about to hurl.

He heard a wolf-whistle, and then a laughing Venus shout, "Get a room!"

Annoyed, Kamen slowly pulled away from Moon, looking down into her terrified eyes, which were leaking slowly with tears. He hesitantly pulled her into a hug, letting her cry into his chest.

He craned his neck just so the Senshi could see his face. "That wasn't funny! Someone could've gotten hurt!"

None of them looked remorseful.

"Oh, have a sense of humor…or look on the bright side!" Venus shouted. "At least now you have a nice view!"

He rolled his eyes. "Of what?"

"Look down!" she shouted.

Confused, Tuxedo Kamen did as he was told, leaning over Sailor Moon's shoulder and glancing at the ground. He gulped. There were holes all throughout her Senshi suit, and almost the entire back of her skirt had been ripped away by the rockets, leaving him a _very_ nice view.

His hands clenched tightly at her waist.

"Hey!" he heard Venus cry as she and the other girls made their way over to them, each with a grin on their faces. "I think we can add, 'Public Indecency' to that list now, eh?"

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I'll post again either Friday or Saturday! Thanks for reading, and Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	3. 1c: Classroom

Sorry about the delay! I've been on a car trip and I would have updated late last night but there was a huge accident on the highway that backed everything up at least 18 miles. If I ever see a car again, it will be too soon. But anyway, thank you to my reviewers! And I'm beginning to work on the getting out the next chapters of NWIO and Standing Aside (hope that makes you...not homicidal, StarryNight101)!

But anyway, enjoy if you can.

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**Bottom of the Barrel**

1c) Classroom

by sakanascales876

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She was nearly invisible -except the Odangos- underneath the tower of napkin dispensers she must have spent at least an hour creating. Mamoru watched in fascination as her pigtails occasionally bobbed up and down, intense mumbling and scribbling coming from her every minute or so. He was tempted to knock all of it down just to annoy her, but his curiosity bested him.

"What on Earth are you doing?" he asked with a monotonous tone. Startled, she popped up, hitting her head on a salt shaker.

She scowled at him. "Don't scare me like that! Can't you see that I'm busy?"

"With what?"

She sighed, rolling her eyes before standing up. "I'm studying for a science test."

"Study?" Disbelief flooded his mind, and before he knew it, he pushed aside the tower gently to see an open book on her desk with words that to him looked suspiciously like…_science_. Mamoru looked at her in shock. "You're _actually_ studying?"

Usagi gave a growl before seating herself once more, burying herself back into her text book. "If you're going to insult me: leave."

"That's the plan," he said cheekily. "But what's with the little fort you've got here? Are you trying to conceal your secret studying technique, which is not working out too well for you-,"

"I bet my allowance to Luna that the only reason I'm failing is because there are too many distractions in the classroom, so if I studied somewhere else I'd do better. I can't have any distractions. Now please leave before I throw pepper in your face."

Mamoru blinked in confusion, reaching up to scratch his head. That made some sense to him, but… "Wait. Isn't _Luna_ your cat?"

"Uh…" Usagi began, a nervous laugh erupting from her. "Yeah, but I named her after my father's father's grand-daughter…err, yeah."

"But that's-,"

"You're distracting me now, Mamoru-baka." She hid herself beneath her fort once more, ignoring his frown and angry look at her.

A bit insulted, he stalked around the table, making his way into the booth and scooting next to her, ignoring her protesting and pouting as she demanded that he leave.

"What are you studying?" he asked, looking down at her book to get a general idea at what she was tackling.

"Science."

He rolled his eyes. "I know that! But what area of _science_ are you on?"

With a huff, she pointed at the main title at the beginning of the chapter. He nodded, gathering up her notes and highlighting key points to remember, slowly explaining them to her with patience. Usagi wasn't listening, but watching how his bangs fell just above his eyebrows, and she noticed how nicely the dark hair compared with his dark skin. His shirt was slightly ruffled and his collar was messy, and she couldn't help becoming aware of the fact that he looked good even when he was slightly haggard.

"Odango, are you even listening?" His deep tone sliced through her thoughts, and she found herself ogling at his sapphire eyes, a blush coating her cheeks.

"Sorry, I…uh—got distracted," she said nervously, averting her eyes back down to her notes.

Mamoru groaned, "God; it's not only in the classroom! Whoever this _Luna_ is, she's about to make a bit of money."

She gave out a whimper and Mamoru began to teach again, pausing every minute or so to make sure that she was at least listening. It wasn't fair! This was even more distracting than Haruna's classroom! There was no way that she was going to pass this test. A thought occurred to her then. What the hell was Luna, a talking cat, going to do with her money anyway?

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I hope you liked it! Please review!

-Fishyscales876 ;)


	4. 1d: Homework

Here's the next update! And this one is less funny than it is overly-dramatic and too angsty. I was just in one of those piss-ass moods, ya know? But anyway, thank you to all those who reviewed! Shana Elmsford: I'll get on writing that story for you as soon as I can; expect it no later than two weeks. StarryNight101: Thank God I have a purpose to write these things or else I might be dead right now...

But to all of you who can, enjoy!

Warning: Incredibly angsty to the point of strangeness. Give me a break, I was tired...a month to write all 35 of these is too short!

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**Bottom of the Barrel**

1d) Homework

by sakanascales876

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Usagi looked down at the bubbly scribble on her hand that recited her homework for psychology class: _They say that sometimes telling a lie is better than telling the truth under *certain circumstances. Over the weekend, test this theory and have a report in by Monday about how you tested this, and what the results were._

Usagi frowned. Why did she let Ami-chan talk her into taking the blasted class? It was already Sunday, and she had no idea what she was going to do! She sighed, leaning against a nearby tree and closing her eyes. She _had_ to get a good grade on this project or her mom was going to _kill_ her.

Despair overflowing her mind, she glanced up at the church, taking a small moment to stare at the utmost top stained glass window with awe. It was a picture of an angel reaching out to a stranger, apparently offering some sort of guidance, some sort of help. If only _she _had an angel that would help her with this dang assignment! Heavy hearted, she began to tread away from the church and slowly past the cemetery, the dreary rows of head-stones dragging her mood down even further.

That's when she saw him. Sitting in a row by himself to the far right was Mamoru…what was he doing there? She leant up against the fence and noticed that he was almost like a statue; cold and unmoving. She frowned, stumbling over to the entrance and quietly making her way over to where he sat until he noticed her, a surprised look on his face. His cheeks were flushed a bit, and he looked as though he was…shaking?

"Odango," he said strongly, acknowledging her with a steady nod, moving over on the bench he was on to accommodate her.

Unsure, Usagi sat, sitting on the farthest end of the bench as possible. "So…what are you, err, doing out here?" In an instant her mind was cursing her. Idiot! He's in a cemetery! What do you think?

He appeared to have been thinking, for he jerked his head toward her, blinking a bit in surprise before answering, "I'm just…paying some respects."

She didn't want to prod any further, afraid she would say something insensitive. Usagi nodded, turning away from him to stare at the graves in front of her. She didn't particularly like cemeteries, but sometimes the dates on the tomb stones just fascinated her according to how old they were. But the ones she was face to face with were fairly newer, the marble still shining and clean, even on a grey day like this. Usagi squinted at the names on them. Their first names, Mother and Father, and then _Chiba_. Her breathing became somewhat shallow. _Chiba_.

She wasn't thinking when she asked, "Do you know these people, Mamoru-bak…_san_?"

Her hands clenched at her own stupidity, and he wasn't answering. At all. He wasn't even looking at her, but at his feet. His eyes were hidden from her behind his thick bangs, and she was afraid of what she would find beneath them.

Mamoru's thoughts were on a different path, however. He liked her being here, next to him, seemingly concerned, but he still wanted her to leave. He didn't want to tell her that her feet were nestled comfortably over his dead parents' bones. Why? He didn't have the heart, and he didn't want her fussing over him in her patented Usagi way; caring too much and meddling about other people's business when her own life was slowly crumbling…he shuddered to think of the prospect of her even graduating.

"They were my Aunt and Uncle," he lied, clasping his hands together. It was a heavy lie, but to her it would still be considered a great loss…just not _the _loss that he didn't want her to know about.

He winced as her shoulders considerably dropped. Hopefully she would just leave, and then he would run into her tomorrow when everything would be back to normal and he'd be _happy_.

Of course, she took no such hint. "I'm sorry, Mamoru-san." No, gods no. Those were the last words he wanted to hear out of her mouth. He closed his eyes painfully, sighing heavily. Oh, he prayed that she would just leave before he started crying…honest to God crying.

"Thanks…Odango, but I really want to be alone right now," he said, his voice shaking. She looked a bit taken aback, but she stood, an almost hurt look on her face.

She wanted to say something, anything that might be meaningful…but she could think of nothing. Wincing, Usagi opened her mouth, wishing that something would just come out.

"I-Mamoru-san, I know what you're feeling." Holy crap, what a lie! Usagi's heart pounded in her chest…she'd never lost anyone in _that_ way her entire life! "I lost a close friend once…and I found that being alone just made things worse. So, if you ever need to talk…I, well I'll be here-for you."

She thought she saw the corners of his mouth twitch slightly, which made her heart flutter. He looked at her, his eyes glittering. "Thanks, Odango. I-I think I'll be alright. But I still need to be alone."

The trusting look in his eyes made her entire body nearly collapse. It just hurt her so much…she couldn't bear it. With awkward feet, she nearly tripped out of the cemetery, walking home without even stopping at the Arcade.

…...

Later that night, Usagi pulled out a blank sheet of lined paper, her pen hovering over the paper before she wrote:

_I lied to someone I care about, and it seemed to make him feel better. It wasn't worth it though…it only hurts._

Usagi struggled to write this, knowing that she didn't want to specify what she actually lied about, even though she was supposed to. The guilt was eating her alive, and she was going to get an F on her project. She didn't care though…none of that could compare to the agony she felt every time she pictured Mamoru's eyes. To her, an F wouldn't even be a suitable punishment for what she did.

Raw anger biting at her, she crumpled the paper and threw it in her bag, ready to face the lions.

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Ick, that's all for today. Can't say that I particularly like this one, but I had to do this assignment once. Man, my mom was pissed for weeks...

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	5. 1e: Lunch

Hey, I don't have a lot of time because my sister's visiting, but here's today's drabble. Admittedly, this isn't my favorite, but the next one is going to be really fun. **Shana Elmsford**: I'm just beginning to write your story and I have to warn that it could be a very long one-shot.

Cheers! And enjoy!

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**Bottom of the Barrel**

1e) Lunch

by sakanascales876

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Usagi drummed her nails on the desk, staring wistfully at the clock. When would this hell finally end? She'd been in detention for two hours, was starving because she'd forgotten lunch, and had been lectured by Ms. Haruna for over an hour about why and how she needed to shape up or she'd never be able to find a structured place in society.

She was an all-powerful superhero, darn it. She didn't need this.

Groaning, she noticed that there was still another forty minutes before she'd be able to leave. "My life sucks," she mumbled.

Ms. Haruna looked up from her desk. "No talking, Tsukino-san."

She nodded tetchily, wishing that she could just Moon-dust her teacher so she could leave. No such luck came, and the young girl found herself gazing out the window, wondering what her Mamo-chan was doing. Studying. That wasn't all too hard considering that was all he _ever_ did. She sighed and shook her head. Dwelling on that thought would only make her more depressed. Usagi desperately wanted to rest her head on the desk, but knew that Haruna would never allow it. Stupid teachers. All they did was set her up to fail, and then scold the living daylight out of her until her face was blue.

She heard a fluttering near the open window, and looked up in awe to see a floating lunch box right outside it. She rubbed her eyes. Great, now she was hallucinating, too! But to her surprise, the box began to float toward her before it landed silently in her lap. Usagi immediately glanced at Haruna, who had somehow not noticed it fly in. She bit back the urge to snort. How could you not see a floating lunch box fly through your window? And she called _her _stupid…

Looking down, she saw a neatly made lunch wrapped in a dark blue fabric with little fish on it. Ripping off the card, she quietly unfolded it only to recognize Mamoru's neat writing:

_Ami-san told me you forgot your lunch today, and I heard you got detention also. I thought you would be hungry so I made you this. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?_

_With Love, _

_Mamoru_

Usagi beamed down at the tiny card before carefully unwrapping the lunch, praying that Haruna would not hear her. She hastily took a bite and then sighed contentedly. If she didn't know any better, Mamoru could give Mako-chan a run for her money when it came to cooking.

...

Ms. Haruna gathered her things after she watched Tsukino-san leave the room, depressed that she'd been canceled on by her date again, _and_ she has to stay late. With a groan of fatigue, she began to trudge out of the room, but not before nearly slipping on a piece of paper that Tsukino must have left on the floor. With a scowl, she picked it up and read it, her eyes rolling at the complete mushiness.

Even Tsukino Usagi managed to find a boyfriend before her! That was just ridiculous! With a snort, she stomped out of the room, resolving that the next time she gave Usagi detention that she wouldn't feel as guilty.

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Let me know what you thought! Reviews are appreciated!

-Fishyscales ;)


	6. 1f: Hallway

Well, here's the next drabble. And this one is a lot more fun than the last two've been. I didn't like those two...but anyway, Shana Elmsford: ...I hate the fact that the idea you gave me to write is slowly turning itself into a full story, because an idea hit me last night and now it's not going to get out of my head until I write it. I don't know if you'll be happy to find out that your one-shot is going to be a full story now, but I hope you like it. It may not come out _really_ soon, because I'm planning on having another chapter of Never Walk it Off posted after these drabbles are done. But it will arrive! And thank you to all those who reviewed!

If you can, enjoy. If you can't, C'est la vie.

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**Bottom of the Barrel**

1f) Hallways

by sakanascales876

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"I'm seriously thinking that this place is haunted, Mamoru-baka," Usagi said nervously looking down the dark hallway. The Strobe lights illuminated their path and the smoke tickled their feet as they slowly moved along. Mamoru was not pleased, to say the least. His feet kept getting tangled with hers as she clung to him as though he was the last life preserver on a sinking vessel. His mind fancied the idea, but he immediately ignored it, allowing his irritation to take control.

His eyes rolled to the fake neon spider webs hanging from the ceiling. "This is a _haunted house_, Odango. What did you expect? Friendly monsters holding the door open for you and inviting you in for tea?"

"Don't make fun of me, you jerk! I'm scared!" she spat, letting out a small shriek when a man popped out from behind a wall, hissing and baring his teeth, ready to swoop down and tackle her. "Get me out of here!"

He sighed to show his exasperation, but ushered her along nonetheless. They blindly turned down another hallway, praying that this one would be less intense than the last. Mamoru spotted a bench and sat them both down, but Usagi was still glued to his side.

"We're going to die in here!" she whimpered, burying her head into his chest and beginning to wail. "I don't want to die with _you_."

Though the words slightly stung, Mamoru was amused by her behavior towards the cheesy displays around them. He gave out a slight chuckle. "You're not exactly the person I wanted to spend my last moments with either, Odango."

Her grip on him tightened, and he could feel her glare into his chest. "Can you _not_ be a complete jerk for just five minutes?"

"What you see is what you get," he said, sending her a grin, though he doubted she could see it. An idea popped into his head. "But now that you mention it, I'm starting to get scared here, too…ever since…well, _you know_."

Her head shot up, eyes wide with curiosity and horror. "What?"

Inwardly, Mamoru was cackling. But somehow he managed to fight a smile at her gullibility. Feigning surprise, he blinked. "You mean you _don't_ _know_?"

"Know what?" she squeaked. "What happened?"

He waved his hand dismissively, shaking his head. "I shouldn't tell you…it'd just freak you out even more."

Usagi glared at him, clawing her nails into his jacket before growling, "Mamoru-baka, tell me what happened _now_."

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." He cleared his throat. "Around four years ago, there used to be a maintenance guy that worked here that always tended to the gardens. They say he always carried around a hoe with him, scaring almost everybody that came here. But one day, he went missing, and no one could find him until the next day when they found his mangled body buried in his garden right out front -it was all over the news."

"What happened then?" she asked, her eyes widened in terror as she looked up at him.

"Apparently he'd been stabbed with his gardening hoe when they examined his wounds, but nobody could find it. To this day, they don't know where it is. But it's rumored that every night, his ghost walks these halls wielding a bloody hoe, ready to kill anybody that he catches in this very building."

Usagi trembled against him, looking back and forth down the hallways to check and see if anybody was there. "Is he going to get us?"

Mamoru shook his head solemnly, biting his lip to fight laughter. "I don't know, Odango. I just don't know."

"I do," a sinister voice whispered in their ears, causing both of them to freeze. Mamoru looked back to see one of the guys in costume, playfully grinning at the both of them. He was about to say something to the guy, but Usagi grabbed onto him and practically dragged him down the corridors, screeching, "RUN! HE'S GOING TO GET US, BAKA, RUN!"

She threw open a storage closet's door and threw them both in there, slamming the door shut and pulling the little cord to the light, a dim glow illuminating their faces.

Mamoru cursed, a hand going to his throbbing head. He was about to yell and lecture the hell out of her, but she beat him to it. "I think we're safe now."

He glared at her, but laughter began to bubble in his throat. Soon, he could no longer contain it, and he was doubled over on the floor. She stared at him indignantly. "What's so funny? We almost died! That maintenance guy was coming to get us!"

His hands clamped on her shoulders for support as he leant over, clutching his stomach as the laughter spilled out of him. She looked at him with horror, anger, and confusion in her eyes before she grabbed his hands and shoved them away, knowing what had finally occurred. "You lied to me?" she shrieked, her hands going to her hips.

Mamoru finally calmed down enough to straighten his back, a bitter smile on his face from the ache his stomach was now receiving. "No, I told you a story. Whatever perspective you choose to perceive it in is your decision, but here's a word of advice, Odango: you shouldn't believe everything that people tell you or one day it may come back to-," he balanced his foot behind hers so it would softly scratch against the back of her calf, a wicked smile forming on his lips. "_Get you!_"

Just as he expected, she screamed and launched herself into his arms, but he didn't expect to have himself thrown backwards into a pile of old sheets from the force. Dust bounced into the air and slowly settled around them, and Mamoru could see the utter hatred in Usagi's eyes. "I swear that I'm going to kick your butt so many times that the whooping will outnumber the people on this Earth that like chocolate. Mamoru-baka…that's a lot of people."

Amusement alight in his eyes, Mamoru quickly flipped them over so Usagi's head was now dangling precariously over a bucket of filthy mop water. Her eyes narrowed.

"I could do it, you know," he murmured, curling his lips into a mischievous smirk. She was breathing heavily into his face, steam practically coming out of her ears as he jokingly tilted her head back towards the bucket.

She began to scream, "DON'T YOU DARE! MAMORU-BAKA! I'M NOT KIDDING! IF YOU GET MY WET I SWEAR TO GOD-,"

He cut her off when his lips melded to hers.

.../.../.../.../.../.../...

Nobuo sighed as he stumbled across yet another line of tape and streamers attached to the floor once again. He absolutely _hated_ whenever the building threw a haunted house…okay, it was fun and all but guess who had to clean it up? Mumbling a curse, he began to stomp over to the nearest storage closet to get some kind of a scraper to get all the tape off.

He didn't need this; minimum wage as a maintenance man wasn't worth it. He had spent the _entire_ day fixing up the garden out front after some stupid kid had decided to pop wheelies in it on their bike. That was _fun_. His grip tightened around the mini hoe in his hand. How much more of this could he possible take?

Throwing the door open, he stepped in to grab his toolbox when he noticed two teens on the ground practically sucking each other's faces off. He cringed. This was not part of his training.

Drawing his feet together, Nobuo grabbed the young man's shoulder. "Hey, show's over, kid!" he barked assertively, the hoe still clutched in his hand.

The young man looked at him with a horrified expression on his face, as though he had seen a ghost. The maintenance man eyed him with confusion. What the heck was wrong? The young girl beneath him started screaming bloody murder, and before he knew it, a fist had landed in his stomach, knocking him back into a shelf and onto the ground.

The two teens raced out of the room, but he could still hear the girl's, well, _girly_ shrieks coming all the way down the hall. He soon ignored them, however, as the wind had been knocked out of him. Jeez, that boy could throw a punch! Finding the strength to stand, Nobuo balanced himself against one of the shelves, surveying the damage. Great. Now the bucket of water was all over the floor, too!

With great frustration, Nobuo threw his mini hoe onto the ground, deciding that his resignation letter would be on his bosses' desk first thing in the morning.

* * *

It felt wierd calling the gardening tool a 'mini hoe' for this, but there isn't really another name for it...huh...

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	7. 1g: Bell

Here ya go! It's not funny like the other ones, but the next one should be better...  
Thanks to all you guys that reviewed! I don't have a lot of time to post this right now, but I hope you guys like it!

Enjoy if you can. If you can't...well, just no flames, please.

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

1g) Bell

by sakanascales876

* * *

She could hear them ringing strongly in her ear. Even above all the din in the Arcade, their rings would taunt only her, and would expect only her to put things right. Usagi could admit that she always had fancied the tinkling melody of bells, no matter what pitch. But had she been asked at the moment, hatred would have pooled in her guts.

She wasn't fond of the idea of actually _hating_ something…especially something that could bring joy or was as pleasing to the ears as the bell was. But she did, and she couldn't control it.

Even Motoki had noticed the change in her demeanor: shoulders tensed, back straight, eyes narrowed and alert…it was frightening for him to even witness such an abrupt change in the girl he thought he knew.

Quietly, she pushed away from the counter and slapped down some money, staring almost reluctantly at the front doors. "Keep the change, Motoki-onii-san."

Where she was going, she wouldn't need it.

She noticed from the corners of her eyes that Motoki was glancing nervously at both her and Mamoru, who was giving an intense glare at either her or the doors; she couldn't tell. A chilling thought froze her spine. Surely he couldn't hear them…could he? It was impossible. He wasn't like her and he didn't posses the abilities she did. Uncomfortable, she turned away and began her long run to the other side of town where the bells were echoing from.

His haunting eyes followed her the entire way as she neared, the bells now louder than ever in her head. She must have been mistaken…he must have been being his normal, baka –self. That had to be it.

Why on Earth would he be able to hear in his mind when a youma attacked, anyway? Or better, what greater being would be so cruel as to bestow this horrible curse on more than one person?

* * *

Boo-hoo; I know it's not the standard of funny that I usually write. But nonetheless, I hope you liked it!

Please review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	8. 2a: Books

Ack. I know that this is a day late, but by the time I had time to post yesterday it was a bit late. I want to thank all the reviewers! You guys are awesome! I don't have much of anything else to say...so:

Enjoy if you can, throw tomatoes if you can't. Preferably at my feet; it looks like it would hurt.

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

Second Period: Literature

2a) Books

by sakanascales876

* * *

The door began to crack open, Usagi's voice spilling from the hallway as she assured her mother of something he couldn't make out that well. His Spidey-Senses tingling, Mamoru made a heroic dive for the closet, doing a little summersault on the carpet before sliding the double doors closed behind. A small crack allowed him a bit of light and an opportunity for him to see what she was doing in her room. A sharp pain shot through his back and he instantly shuffled himself around.

And there-Honest to God-right on a tiny bookshelf behind him…was a book. Alone, with a cracked spine, was a _book_. In Usagi's room. He wasn't joking; it was seriously there. He reached out to touch it but then quickly flinched away, not sure that it was real.

Nonetheless, Mamoru cackled softly. This was _good._ Motoki had triple-dog-dared him to sneak into Usagi's room and take a picture, but now he had blackmail! The Odango actually _read_. Pulling out a small digital camera, he quickly snapped a picture of the closet, cursing himself as the flash momentarily lit up the small area. He swiveled his neck to see Usagi chattering away on the phone, oblivious as always.

With a smirk, Mamoru gently picked up the book, as though afraid that it would break. He was surprised when it immediately flipped open. It seemed to him that little Usagi must have read whatever story it was quite often…

_Sleeping Beauty._ _Of course_, he thought, rolling his eyes. _She would only read fairy tales_. He was about to shut it and settle in for the night until she left for school in the morning when the illustration caught his attention.

In the middle of the page, was her face, which she had cut and pasted over the Princess'. He scoffed, and looked to the Prince, who had the same face as him…and was scoffing back at him. He gaped in disbelief. She had actually cut out his picture and taped it onto the Prince's face!

"Oh, my God," he said, completely immersed in the now-not-so-silly-Fairy-Tales-book.

The door slid open to reveal Usagi, who was glaring at him murderously, a small broom in her hands. Mamoru looked up at her in a daze. He blinked. _Wait…Oh crap!_ She squealed, he cringed, and she roughly snatched the book away from him. "What the heck are you doing here, baka?"

Now terrified for his life, Mamoru tried to think of an excuse that wouldn't get him turned over the Usagi's father. He wanted to live! "I—uh," he began nervously. "I was just…catching up on my reading!"

She scrunched up her sleeve and cracked her knuckles.

.../.../.../.../.../.../...

"Okay, Motoki-kun! One free coffee on the house, just as you promised!" Mamoru called as he jaunted into the Arcade and slid up to the counter.

Motoki turned around to face his friend only to give a strangled cry and back away. "D-dude, what happened to your eye?"

Mamoru winced and instinctively went up to touch the now purple and yellow skin around his eye, not entirely willing to admit that he'd gotten it from a girl, Usagi no less.

"I fell," he lied. "But I've got the picture _right here_." He slapped it onto the counter. "Look."

Motoki turned the small paper around to face him, scrunching his eyes to look around what was Usagi's closet. After a few moments, he chuckled, pushing it back towards him.

"Ha-ha, nice try, buddy," he laughed calmly, turning back around to polish out a few empty glasses.

Mamoru frowned, confused. "What are you talking about? I took that from inside her closet!"

His friend shook his head and rolled his eyes. "That's a nice trick there, Mamoru-kun, but if you were trying to make that look like Usagi's room, next time you should remember to take the book out of it."

* * *

Poor Mamoru...  
Hope you liked it! And please review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	9. 2b: Romance

Okay, this is the second time in a row that I've updated a day late on this, but I didn't exactly have access to a computer yesterday...  
This particular drabble may seem a bit strange; it's AU-where they discovered each other's identities and Mamoru wasn't taken by Beryl. But this was just an experiment and all I could come up with that day at three in the morning, so forgive me for it's suckiness. Thank you to all the reviewers, and I promise the next one will be a funny one!

Enjoy if you can. If you can't, okey-dokey.

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

2b) Romance

by sakanascales876

* * *

"Mamoru-baka," she called softly to him, hoping that he would at least open his eyes while she asked him this. He stirred, remaining hunched over the railing with his head resting in his hands.

"Mmm, what is it?"

She gave an exasperated sigh; it looked like this was going to be done the hard way. Wistfully, she tugged on his sleeve, forcing him to stand at full height. He gazed drowsily down at her, waiting for whatever was so important that she had to disrupt his much-needed sleep time for. She was flushed, and to him she seemed like she was feeling faint by the way she began to sway.

Feeling his eyes on her, Usagi looked at her shoes. "I have to ask you something…it's kind of important, too, so put your listening ears on."

Mamoru smiled at this, shaking his head. Even when she was trying to be serious, she wasn't. How on Earth could he ever become used to her? He looked down at her expectantly. "Okay…my _listening_ ears are on; what's up?"

"Please, be serious, Mamoru-san. I'm not joking around with you."

He blinked. There was something off about her today. What was she going to ask that could be changing her so drastically right in front of him? "I'm sorry," he backed down, allowing her to speak. "Please continue."

She nodded, though looking skeptical. "I-Mamoru-san, do you believe in happy endings, no matter the situation?"

He took a short intake of breath and paused. How was he supposed to answer that? It wasn't a rhetorical question, but to him, the answer options were double edged swords. If he said yes, then in some situation, if it _didn't _work out, then it'd be wrong. If he said no, then he would basically be assuring her that there would be no hope for either of them at all. Personally, he didn't believe in either…he didn't know what he believed.

"Odango…why are you asking me this?" he whispered, looking impassively at the city before them. It was theirs to protect. It was theirs to save. Whatever fate up there that was messing with them seriously couldn't have placed such an important responsibly on two more _inadequate _people for the job.

Before he could dwell too much within his thoughts, Usagi shuffled beside him mimicking his motion of leaning over the railing, which made him nervous. He knew _he_wouldn't fall, but she was the biggest klutz in existence! With a sigh, she grew quiet, both of them listening to the hustle and bustle of the city. He could see her looking longingly down at the people, wishing the same thing he did: to be ignorant, to be one of them…to be normal. He barely noticed that Usagi had started speaking once more.

"We're not going to get one, are we?"

"I never said that," he growled.

"No," Usagi began, leaning back against the railing. "But you did imply it. It's alright…I can feel it. Something bad is about to happen, Mamoru-san. Something, 'Serenity and Endymion tragedy,' bad."

He internally winced as she mentioned _that._ Whenever _that_was brought up, someone always got hurt emotionally. He didn't know about her, but it had left an ache in his chest ever since they had started getting their memories back right after they had found out each other's identities. From then on, she had always doubted everything he did for her, thinking that it was just because she was Sailor Moon, or just because of their past together. Instinctively, his fingers clung to hers, entwining themselves, but she instantly pulled away.

"I'm not Serenity," she barked, snatching herself away from him, staring wildly ahead. His own anger began to bubble within. She wasn't the only one upset about it.

"And I'm not Endymion!" His fists clenched the rails so tightly that he was sure that he had permanently molded it to the shape of his fists. "But are you really saying that you can't feel anything, Usagi? Is it really that hard to accept?"

Angry tears spilled from her eyes as she yelled, "How could we _ever_ tell that we're not just being controlled by some person in the past who knows _nothing about us_? Are you seriously going to let them play with our feelings? I sure as heck am not!"

"So you're brilliant plan of action is to suffer and be miserable instead?" he yelled sarcastically.

Shortly after, he found himself nose-to-nose with her, having been pulled down by his collar. "Metallia is on the verge of attacking at any moment. We are _not_ having this conversation right now."

"What better time than when we might die, Usagi? What if we _don't_ come back? What if we _don't_ have one of your 'happy endings'? Then what?" he demanded.

He felt a raw sting against his cheek, and a tiny sob escape from her throat. Tears fell involuntarily from the slap, but he was still furious with her.

"Please don't say that," she pleaded, her voice broken and scratchy. "I don't want any of us to die, Mamoru-san…please don't say that or it might-,"

"It won't happen," he murmured, reaching out to pull her in a hug. She flinched away, pushing his hands back and walking over to the opposite end of the balcony.

"Don't. I-just let me think. God knows I could use some thinking time." The sad part was, he couldn't even tell if she was joking or not. He was almost pacified for a bit until she decided to add, "I can't be two people for you or anyone, Mamoru-san."

He didn't move or speak for a while-she was kind of glad he didn't-but when he did, she was quite taken aback.

"I only want one," he snarled, walking back into the apartment where the Senshi meeting was taking place, slamming the glass door behind him.

Usagi cried softly. She wouldn't go after him. There wasn't going to be a happy ending, and now there wasn't even a prince to sweep her off her feet. She slowly walked back into the apartment to get back to the meeting. She could tell by her friend's worried expressions that Metallia was going to strike soon. Willing the tears to stop, she decided to get immersed in the plotting instead of Mamoru, who kept sending her pleading stares across the room. Even though she probably wouldn't get her happy ending, didn't mean she had to take the rest of the World's.

* * *

Meh...there you go. It's not my best or my favorite, but I still like it.

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	10. 2c: Classic

Ha-hee-hee (I just watched Major Payne). Here's a more..._lighter_ drabble, as promised. Thank you to all the awesome people out there who reviewed and favorited this story thus far (which I hope continues...). You're in luck; I'm not seeing an angsty drabble coming up very soon, unless you like that sort of thing...

Enjoy and stay well!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

2c) Classic

by sakanscales876

* * *

Mamoru closed the door, confusion racing through his mind. That had to have been the weirdest thing he had ever seen. She just waltzed into his apartment like it was home, put on his slippers, ate his food, messed with his stereo, criticized his books, and then left like nothing happened. What was his Odangoed nemesis playing at?

Suspiciously, he walked over to his stereo, turning on some Classical Music of the Baroque era before plopping himself onto his couch. He nearly had a heart attack at what he heard. Instead of his calming, soft music, some lady was singing in English about people from California and...popsicles? What the hell? With a curse, he raced up to his stereo, turning the music inaudible so that his neighbor's wouldn't complain.

In his haste, he almost missed the note taped rather bluntly on the front of the speakers. Curious, he ripped it off.

_Do not remove under penalty of law. Hahahaa, just kidding you freak. I was looking through your music, but there's nothing good 'cuz this one singer's name (Bok, I think it was?) sounded like I was coughing up a tricycle when I pronounced it. I'm going to let you borrow my CD for now. It's really good music so try not to get your horrible Mamoru-ness on it. I wrote a list on the back of what the songs are in order, so you're welcome!_

_Sincerely, Usagi_

_P.S. I took the Bok CD for now…I think that's the one that my cat wanted me to get for her._

Mamoru was left staring at the letter for minutes before he came back to reality. Flipping the note over, he read the list of songs in order, his brow furrowing at every title.

"Okay," he began slowly. "What is a 'Katy Perry,' and what the hell does that cat want with my Bach CD?"

* * *

Pretty short, I know. They can't all be a thousand words (I'd love that). Now I must flee. I won a bet so now my friend has to make me tacos for dinner: yum.

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	11. 2d: Poem

Just to let you guys know, these are going to be posted at an irregular time because the freaking work year's started up again! Augh! But whatever...thank you to all the people who reviewed and favorited! I hope to hear from you all!

Enjoy if you must...

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

2d) Poem

by sakanascales876

_

* * *

_

Roses are red

_Violets are blue_

_You eat like a cow_

_And your Odangos smell, too._

Mamoru, who had spent a good thirty seconds scribbling this onto a napkin, discreetly slid the poem over to his companion, who was idly sipping at a milkshake and trying her best to ignore him. When she felt it poking into her wrist, however, she picked it up and curiously scanned it. Mamoru couldn't contain his laughter as her face began to turn a dark shade of red, fire scorching in her eyes.

Without saying a word, she leant over towards him and snatched the pen out of his hand, flipping the napkin over and scribbling furiously on it. He tried to look over her shoulder to see what she was writing, but to his consternation, she'd cocooned herself over the counter to keep him out. His impatience was stabbing him in the neck with a pair of scissors, and he nearly took her hand off when she calmly turned and handed the napkin back to him.

_Mamoru was a guy I used to know,_

_Until he insulted me with a low blow,_

_I ripped him a new pair,_

_No sons shall he now bear,_

_Thus the end of my old, dreaded foe._

As he read this, Mamoru's face paled, terrified for his life. He didn't dare to glance up at her, afraid that she might fulfill that threat. Flipping the paper over, he scrawled another little poem for her. In no less than a minute, the paper was slipped back over to her, which she glared at, ready for another one of his taunts.

_You are so pretty,_

_Your hair is very shiny,_

_I want to bear son._

With a smirk, Usagi reached up to pat Mamoru comfortingly on the shoulder. "Good choice."

* * *

Here ya go!

Review if you hate the work year...I know I do!

-Fishyscales ;)


	12. 2e: Tragedy

Okay, I actually have something important to say today. First things first.

1. **Attention**: I need a beta reader. Now before a select few of you out there think, 'Hey, I could do that!' let me warn you: I am spontaneous with updates. Sometimes they take absolutely forever, and other times they're fairly quick. The story that I currently need a beta for is Standing Aside. I'm trying to make the chapter qualities a lot better before I pass them onto you, which is what I need the beta reader for. Suggesting ideas, correcting grammar, constructive criticism, etc. But, as I said, it may take me a while to get the chapter to you, as I look over them myself and rewrite and revise certain scenes. If you're up to it, _and_ you're pretty darn good at correcting the grammar that Microsoft Office Word cannot see, then great! Leave me a review or send me a message and I'll get back to you ASAP with details.

2. I would like to thank all of those who have reviewed this collection of drabbles and my other stories (except you anonymous flamers out there...:P ). I'm going to make it a priority to thank all of you personally like I usually do in my next author's note, but right now, I have no time. The paragraph above took forever to write and my neighbor's bugging me now, so it's time to go.

But now, enjoy if you can!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

2e) Tragedy

by sakanascales876

* * *

"Oh, my gosh," Minako sobbed into a handkerchief that Ami mutely passed to her. "That is the _sweetest_ thing I've ever seen!"

Usagi, who was sitting aside Mamoru, nodded a teary head in agreement. "But why'd he have to die?"

"Because this movie sucks and they turned what could've been an action-packed thriller into a complete chick-flick," Mamoru said monotonously, cringing when Usagi smacked him with her used tissue.

"This is on the verge of being a tragedy, Mamoru-san!" Makoto cried. "That man is _way_ too handsome to die!"

"He's not dead, though! He's still out there, which is what makes this the saddest excuse of a movie I've ever been forced to see!" Exasperation clouded his mind. He didn't know how much more he could take of this.

He'd thought when Motoki had invited them all over to watch the Sailor Moon movie that some people in America had made, that it'd be at least somewhat decent. Curiosity also compelled him to show up, wondering what normal people perceived his persona as Tuxedo Kamen. Unfortunately, he ended up dying after saying a corny line and protecting Sailor Moon or something; he wasn't really paying attention after they'd introduced Zoicite…who they had somehow made a _girl_.

"Blasphemy!" Minako cried, throwing a box of tissues at his head.

"Have you no _soul_?"

Mamoru raised his hands defensively at the onslaught of house-hold objects being hurled at his head by Usagi and Minako. Makoto just started throwing things at him because he thought it was funny. But after this, he was going to have a long chat with his best friend about having less chuck-able things lying around his apartment the next time he invited them all over. With a growl, he stood.

"I just don't see why they killed Tuxedo Kamen off, when he's obviously out there right now still saving the city!" he argued, catching Usagi's fists as they continuously pounded against his chest.

"That's why it's just a_ movie_, baka!" Usagi cried. "Why do you have to turn everything fun into stuff that's…not fun?"

He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you're all buying into this garbage. Especially you, Motoki-kun."

Motoki lay in the fetal position on one of the old, fabric couches. He still seemed to be horrified from when the youma popped out and ate a stupid girl who was running around alone at night from the beginning.

Realizing he wasn't going to get a response, he turned back to the rest of them. "Whatever. I've got to head out." He glanced down at Usagi, who was clutching at his jacket, tears in her eyes.

"Release, Odango."

When she did, he didn't take anytime walking out the front door.

.../.../.../.../.../.../.../.../...

Mamoru woke in a cold sweat, the familiar tug on his mind pulling him out of bed. With a groan, he quickly downed a glass of water and walked towards the balcony, readying himself to follow his mind-link to Sailor Moon.

Quietly pushing the balcony doors open, he transformed into Tuxedo Kamen, leaping his way across the rooftops into the park, landing in a tree, ready to watch for impending danger. What he saw almost made his eyes pop out of his head. He cluttered out of the tree, sprinting towards the five Senshi who were pinning someone down, struggling to get a hold of their flailing limbs. He looked over Mercury's shoulder to see the terrified face of Zoicite, who was struggling futilely in the hold that Mars, Jupiter, and Venus had him in.

"What the hell are you girls doing?" he bellowed, causing each of them to whirl around. Sailor Moon stood, straightening her hair and putting on a sweet smile.

"Nothing," she lied quickly, stepping in his way to keep him from interfering. "We were just kind of…checking."

"For what?"

She smiled sheepishly, rocking back and forth on her heels. "To see if he's a girl...nothing big, you know?"

Zoicite craned his head up, a vain pulsing in his neck as he pleadingly looked up at Tuxedo Kamen. "Please…help me!"

* * *

So, there you go! Please review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	13. 2f: Conflict

Okay you guys, so I found a beta! StarryNight101's got the job, so hopefully when I post chapter 5 of Standing Aside, it'll look a lot better than it usually would. Oh, and I've got three projects to do right now, so I don't really have time to go through the review page and write down everyone who's reviewed yet, so I think I'm just going to do that once all the drabbles are posted and it takes me twice as much time. So much more convenient, right? ;) Thanks to all you reviewers/alerters out there! But I've got to go, so until next time!

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**Bottom of the Barrel**

2f) Conflict

by sakanascales876

* * *

Shingo traipsed up the stairs, a warm cinnamon bun hanging out of his mouth. He'd made sure to get home early, just so he could stuff them all in his backpack so Usagi wouldn't get one. Happy that his day had gone well, he made his way over to his room, ready to divulge himself in his mother's bakery followed by taking a nap until dinner-time. However, he didn't expect to hear _shouting_ coming from Usagi's room. Though it was faint and he couldn't make out what was being said, he could definitely recognize Mamoru's voice meshed with his sister's.

That was weird, he thought. Usagi and Mamoru _never_ fought…they just disgustingly made gaga eyes over the dinner table whenever he was invited over for dinner. And Usagi always gushed to her mother about how sweet her precious 'Mamo-chan' was whenever she got the chance. It was almost disturbing to hear those two genuinely at each other's throats.

He sighed, knowing that his dad wouldn't be home for another good hour. Reaching behind his door to grab his metal base-ball bat, he cautiously opened Usagi's door, stepping inside and waiting for one of them to realize his presence.

Both of their faces were red, Usagi had tear tracks on her face, along with some running makeup. Mamoru looked like he was about to explode with anger, for it looked like she was not complying with something…she stood defiantly by the door, arms crossed over her chest.

Shingo never had a problem with Mamoru; he was always kind and polite. In fact, they'd had very interesting conversations before. The man was very admirable, to say the least. And that was just because he was willing to put up with Usagi! But there had always been something different about him…the both of them, really, that he couldn't place, and that made him uncomfortable. It was almost like whenever he was around them he was entering a war-zone. He didn't understand why, but he could still feel it. Nonetheless, Mamoru was still intimidating. He was bigger and stronger, but failed to realize that it was he, Shingo, who held the bat.

"Do not," he hissed, one arm outstretched to point the bat straight at Mamoru. "Ever yell at my sister, Chiba."

The two of them looked to him in alarm, finally realizing that he was there. Usagi didn't look very pleased, though grateful, and Mamoru was actually _glaring_ at him.

"I wasn't yelling; we're having a disagreement. Your _sister_, however, is being ridiculous and won't listen to reason even when it bites her in the face," he said simply.

Shingo returned the look. "Yeah, well listen to this: this bat is going to bite _you_ in the face if you yell at her again, understand?"

Mamoru made a move towards him, but Usagi held him back, something which really terrified the young boy. Whatever she did to piss him off…

"Get out, Shingo," Usagi demanded, though giving him sympathetic eyes. "This doesn't involve you, but I can handle it."

Slowly, angry, he lowered the bat. "If I hear your voice from my room again," he spat at Mamoru. "Don't expect to eat non-poisoned dinner here tonight."

Usagi scowled at him and pushed her younger brother out of her room, slamming the door in his face. "Go away, brat."

Shingo groaned as he felt his nose crunch. And of course, the moment the lock slid into place Mamoru and Usagi began to yell at one another again. He kicked the door before dropping the bat and storming downstairs to tell his mother what was going on. He grinned to himself, but pain shot through his nose the second he did. That was the _last_ time he'd ever help his sister...

* * *

Just to let you know, I have no idea what they were fighting about...I just kind of thought it and wrote it.

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	14. 2g: Essay

Here's the next chappie! I actually like this one the best out of all of them, besides Paint, which you'll see later...but anyways, I intend to get some work done this weekend and if I work really hard, I'll have finished another chapter of Standing Aside! Yay, she's finally getting off her lazy ass to write n' stuff! Thank you to all the reviewers! Keep 'em coming!

Enjoy if you can, if you can't...don't flame me...

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**Bottom of the Barrel**

2g) Essay

by sakanascales876

* * *

Mamoru couldn't help but feel incredibly out of place as he set his book bag onto the lavender carpet, taking in the hundreds of plush toys before him. _Yeah_, he thought. _This is definitely Odango's room._ Said girl had pranced into her closet not long after telling him that her uniform smelled like her cat, and she was in desperate need of clothes, leaving him to wander around her house until he found what he'd deduced to be her bedroom.

As if on cue, Usagi bounced out of the closet donning her pajamas and bunny slippers. Smiling, she led him over to her desk, seating him and pulling out some of her textbooks. He, on the other hand, was still gaping at the fact that she was in her pajamas at four in the afternoon.

"I thought I was helping you with your homework, not throwing a slumber party," he commented with a snort, crossing his arms behind his head as she flipped through her notebook for a clean sheet of paper.

She paused, looking up for a moment to roll her eyes at him. "Hey, I'm in the comfort of my own home. I'd be nicer if I were you considering if you wanted that free coffee tomorrow."

"Don't bring out the big guns!" he teased, raising his arms in defense, before peering at the textbook. "So what'd you need my help with anyway?"

"Haruna's making me write a stupid five-paragraph essay, and I have absolutely no idea what to write about or how to do it," she said with a small whimper as she whipped out a pink pen.

"I'm not writing this paper for you, if that's what you wanted."

"No," she grumbled. She was hoping that'd work! "But I just need _help_ writing it."

He leant back on the chair, his eyes scanning the ceiling. "Sounds easy enough. What were you planning on writing about?"

"Maybe the Sailor Senshi," she replied with a shrug, before gasping excitedly, "Or maybe Tuxedo Kamen."

She didn't hear his reply, but a loud thud against the floor. Usagi quickly peered down to see that he'd tipped his chair over. "What are you doing down there?" she inquired, leaning down and lending him a hand up. He took it hesitantly.

He rolled his eyes, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "I was starting a Mariachi band, Odango—I fell over! What does it look like I'm doing?"

"What's a Mo—ree…ahh che-,"

"Just forget it."

With a sigh, he sat himself back next to Usagi. She discreetly slid the notebook over to him, which he looked down to see the letters of the title, 'TUCKSEDO KAMEN,' scrawled in long, bubbly letters that took up the entire line from top to bottom.

He squinted. "You know it's spelled: T-U-X-E-D-O, right?"

Mamoru reached over to her pencil jar, missing her embarrassed blush and her tearing the paper out of the notebook, re-scribbling the title. Turning back to her, he flipped open her textbook and hastily read a paragraph to refresh him memory. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had to write a five-paragraph essay…

A thought occurred to him. "Odango, what do you even know about Tuxedo Kamen?"

He got a sick feeling in his stomach when her eyes twinkled and she let out a dazed sigh. "His favorite color is blue."

"What?" he asked, disbelief tainting his tone. "Why do you think that?"

"I don't think it; I know it," she huffed, making Mamoru slap his forehead with his palm.

Following the groan that escaped his throat, Mamoru flipped to the back of the notebook, tearing out a blank sheet of paper and passing it to Usagi. She stared at it with confusion. "What am I-,"

"Just make a list of everything you know about him. If it's enough, then you can write the essay based off it. If not, then you'll have to pick a different topic."

Usagi nodded and began to scrawl a list furiously, giving Mamoru's mind a moment of peace. His thoughts didn't seem to take advantage of this, though.

_Okay,_ _my favorite colors are red and black, not blue,_ he reflected. _There is no way she knows anything about me! _

The paper slithered under his nose, Usagi laughingly taunting him with it by brushing his face with it occasionally, watching as his nose twitched. When he popped an eye open, he glared at her.

"I finished," she squeaked as he snatched the sheet from her hand, scanning it with a frown on his face.

_Tucksedo__Tuxedo Kamen likes: (A/N: The Tucksedo is supposed to be stricken out, but won't let me :( ...)_

_Blue_

_Red Roses_

_Hats_

_His cape_

_Saving people_

_Saving Sailor Moon_

_Taking care of his hair_

_Lurking around at night_

_Hiding in trees_

_Giving poetic speeches_

Jeez! This list made him sound like a Master-Chief-Creeper! Horrified, he glimpsed down at Usagi, who was scribbling a picture of…well, he didn't know what it was, but it looked like there was a cat in there somewhere.

Bewildered, the first question he asked was, "_Why_ and _how_ do you know his favorite color is blue?"

"Well, duh," she began. "His eyes are blue." And she turned back to continue her drawing, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"But that doesn't mean-!" Mamoru gave a distraught groan. Damn, he was going to be here all night!

He felt her brush her hand against his, worriedly shaking his shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?"

He gave her a weak smile, his hand still burning-in a good way-from where she grasped it.

_Maybe, _he peeked at the clock on the wall, discovering that it was only a little bit after five; _being stuck here won't be all too bad…_

* * *

I know; corny ending. But in my defense, I wrote this at four in the morning, so there.

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	15. 3a: Problem

I don't have much time to post this, so here's what's up: Thank you, you lovely reviewers! I hope you like this one, please don't flame me, yadda-yadda-yadda...

Enjoy if you must!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

3a) Problem

by sakanascales876

* * *

Mamoru had sensed that there was a problem from the moment he'd jumped into the bush Ace Ventura style to transform. Like always, his mask was snugly resting on his face, shirt tucked in, jacket buttoned, bow-tie tied, shoes laced…there was something missing…a breeze of some sort that now made the hair on his legs stand up. He looked down. Huh, the little hairs _were_ standing up.

Ready to leap out of the bush and help the Senshi from impending danger, Tuxedo Kamen nearly missed the signal his mind was sending to do a double-take. Once again, he looked down.

Why were his pants missing?

He was wearing a pair of smiley face boxers, finally getting the drift of why men weren't meant to wear short-shorts. With a gasp, he ducked down as far as he could, hoping, praying that no one would find him.

Tuxedo Kamen looked up to see the Senshi battle coming to a close, Sailor Moon having whipped out her moon stick already. He really hoped she wouldn't do anything stupid that would make him have to leap out of the bush and save her-that would be one for the tabloids.

A flash of white light surrounded the air, and he glanced up to see that the youma was gone. Great, now they were probably going to make their way over here to go home, and find him half naked in a bush. Where in the hell were his pants, anyway? With a curse, he decided to lay low until they left so that he could quickly de-transform and get the hell out of dodge.

Faintly, he heard approaching footsteps, ducking down as far as he possibly could so that whichever one of them was passing by wouldn't see.

_Please, not Jupiter. Anyone but Jupiter. She'd take a picture and sell it herself. Venus would crack a dirty joke, Mars would barbeque me, Mercury would be logical and helpful but cautious, and Moon would do anything to help me even if I asked her to jump off a cliff, _he thought, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple.

The footsteps stopped. "Uh…Tuxedo Kamen? What are you doing in a bush?"

A sigh of relief escaped him; it was Moon. "I-well, there was a little problem."

He could sense her overlooking the shrubs to see his position…why hadn't he picked a thicker bush? Her sniggering only indicated that she _had_ found the reason for his distress. Great. Woo-hoo-frickedy-doo.

"That's…_quite_ a problem. Where are your pants?" she asked, trying to conceal her laughter.

"Do you think I know?" he spat. "I just-," he didn't want to tell her he transformed into Tuxedo Kamen, "Couldn't find them!"

She nodded, whirling around and pointing towards the sky. "Well, I think I just did."

Following her finger, he gasped in horror as he noticed his sleek, black pants billowing in the wind as they were tied to a nearby flagpole for the entire city to see. He gulped. It was a pretty damn big city.

"Who on Earth stole my pants?" he bellowed. "I swear to God when I get my hands on them-!"

Sailor Moon stood there, an amused grin on her face. Even as his tirade of curses began to fade, the smile did not. When he was finally quiet, though still pretty red in the face, she put her hands on her hips and gave a laughing sigh. "I think there's a lesson in all of this."

He looked up at her, exasperated. "What?"

Leaning down close to his face, she breathed, "You shouldn't make fun of my hair anymore, Chiba."

He blanked. How the hell did she know his name? Choosing not to acknowledge this fact should he be able to talk her out of believing it was him, he avoided the question easily by shooting one of his own.

"You did this?" he demanded, standing up clad only in his boxers to face her.

Calmly, Sailor Moon whipped out a cell-phone and began dialing a number, oblivious to the homicidal look he was giving her. "Hello? Yes, this is Sailor Moon. Yeah, this is seriously her—I mean _me. _No, I'm in the park right now with Tuxedo Kamen, and he seems to have misplaced his pants. Well, I'll be sure to tell him. See you soon."

She snapped the lid shut, giving him an innocent smile.

"Odango, I'm going to kill you." He clenched his fists. Who on Earth had she been talking to?

She shrugged indifferently. "I'm glad you at least figured that fact out, but you should probably be focusing on how to get those pants down in the next five minutes."

"What are you talking about?" he whispered, his face paling.

She turned and walked away from the bush, over to the flagpole and giving a casual stance. Even over the wind blowing around, he could still hear her faintly call, "Let's see who can get here first! You or the reporters! I'd hurry; they'd just die for a picture of you in your undies! Sink or swim, Kamen!"

.../.../.../.../.../.../.../...

All five Senshi sat in a nearby tree, cackling at the hounds of paparazzi with cameras that were slowly blinding Tokyo's favorite superhero. The city's favorite _superherione_ crossed both arms over her chest and gave a slow, content sigh.

Jupiter nudged Moon in the ribs. "Hey, don't feel bad about this; it's pretty damn funny to me!"

"You think anyone who gets the crap beaten out of them, humiliated, killed, or bitch-slapped is funny," Mars commented snidely, glad that she was sitting between Venus and Mercury instead of the homicidal brunette.

As Jupiter bared her teeth, Moon waved them all off, drawing the girls' attention back to her. "I'm not guilty; he's just so young…"

"This is going to be on the news for the next six months non-stop. They'll all laugh at him, and soon he'll be used as a joke to just about every single comedy show there is to make fun of this," Mercury stated softly, giving her comrades a small but pointed look. "_I'd _be guilty if I were you."

Jupiter shrugged. "Eh, you know what they say: Don't regret the things you have done; regret what you haven't."

She lightly poked the others (except Mars, whom she was still angry with) into escaping down the tree and far away from the man who was embarrassed, insanely harassed, and out for blood.

He was going Rabbit hunting.

* * *

Let me know what you thought! Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	16. 3b: Solution

So, here's the next drabble. I just have to mention something...has anyone heard of that guy on this site, L/ o/ r/ d K .e l .v i .n (I spelled it this way so it wouldn't be filtered), I think his name is, that's been shutting down fics if he thinks they're innapropriate or if their quality is low? I may be a bit behind the times, but it's still pissing me off nonetheless. Whatever. Thanks to all the reviewers! And I plan on writing a crap load of Standing Aside this weekend so be happy that I'm actually getting it done! Actually, I'm replacing the first four chapters because I've rewritten them and I'll also be posting chapter five because the quality of that story has just been so far...wow. It needed to be done.

Enjoy if you can!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

3b) Solution (Sequel to problem)

by sakanascales876

* * *

~The Next Day~

Usagi trudged quietly into the Arcade, pulling her hat even lower over her face so Motoki would not see the horrors that had been done to her. Last night when she had been sleeping, someone had the nerve to come into her room and snip her Odangos off which immediately severed her pigtails of course. And when she woke up, she had nearly fainted at the sight of her shoulder length hair.

She wasn't worried about it growing back; it would take no more than a few weeks for it to be back to normal again. A plus of being a Senshi: her hair always grew back. But no, she was out for blood. Whoever did this was going to pay.

As she sat down at the Sailor V game to furiously kick some virtual-youma butt, someone brushed against her back and whispered into her ear, "Nice haircut, Scatterbrain."

Usagi could feel the blood drain from her face as she turned to face Mamoru. Crap! He was going to kill her from the night before!

"Uh…hi, Mamoru-san. Lovely weather isn't it?" she laughed nervously.

He nodded, a smile crossing his face. She frowned. There was something hidden behind his back…

"I got you a gift. I know your birthday is coming up soon," Mamoru commented lightly, pulling out a mid-sized box from behind his back. Usagi gulped. It was wrapped in this morning's newspaper, which was a giant picture of him in the park clad in his boxers looking genuinely horrified.

She couldn't help but rip the box open, but what she saw she did _not_ like. There rested her Odangos, each one neatly placed in the box so that they were presented like earrings or some other fine jewelry. She blinked back the angry tears and glared at him.

"It was you!" she cried, standing and pointing a finger in his chest. Hell, she was going to murder him!

Mamoru held up his hands in defense. "Glad you finally solved it, but hey, you told me not to make fun of your hair anymore. So now that it's gone, I can't. You win, _Odango_."

He turned with pride and strode from the Arcade, leaving Usagi at the Sailor V game, a vacant expression on her face as she watched him go. She absentmindedly reached up a hand to fell where one of her Odangos should be, upset to find that she only traced the air.

Winning sucked.

* * *

Well, that's all for today! Review if you think that nobody should be able to decide which fics are high caliber enough to be on this site!

Watch my account get shut down for saying this.

-Fishyscales ;)


	17. 3c: Sum

Thank you for all of the reviews from last chapter! I don't have much time, but I have a couple things to adress. StarryNight101: The rewritten version of Standing Aside chapter one is nearly completed, so I'll be sending that to you most likely sometime within the week, possibly even today. Also, an ammount of you reviewed last chapter saying that Mamoru was uncharacteristically mean. He was, but again, in my defense, I wrote half of these at three in the morning to meet the deadline for the contest. 'Nuff said there.

Enjoy if you can!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

3c) Sum

by sakanscales876

* * *

"Okay, so add 580 to 628 and divide it by that one milkshake and…with the milkshake it's 1,207 and a half but we'll round up to eight."

Mamoru looked at her in alarm. "Where are you pulling these numbers from, Odango?"

She pushed her pad of paper in front of him, forcing him to stare blankly down at the scribbled gibberish of numbers laid out before him. "That, Mamoru-baka, is how many accounts of assault that I could sue you for."

"There's no way we've run into each other that many times," he said, disbelief edging his tone. "And I think that's backwards, because _you_ run into _me_."

Usagi got close to his face, spitting as she said, "The data _never_ lies!"

"It does when it comes from a girl that thought she could divide a whole number by a milkshake. Who taught you math, anyway?"

She blushed. "That's not important. I can have you put into jail for being a stalker!"

"No, you can't."

"Yes, I can."

"No."

"Yes."

"You cannot."

"I _so_ can."

"Na-ah."

"Yah-hah."

"Nope."

"No."

Mamoru quirked an eyebrow. "This isn't a cartoon, Odango. That won't work. And I should be suing _you_ for stalking me."

Usagi sat up on her stool, pointing an accusing finger at him. "But you _can't _because then I'd sue you for sexual assault for all the times you've fallen on top of me."

"Okay," he growled. "What?"

She crossed her arms triumphantly across her chest. "You heard me."

He was ready to tear his head out. "That's because you nearly run me over every day!" he shouted.

"But if that's true," Usagi said, giving a smirk. "And I do run into you; why do you never fall _backwards_?"

Mamoru couldn't respond to that.

* * *

I really liked writing this one...and I always wondered: she speeds down the street like a bullet and runs into him while he's "unaware" and *she's* the one who always falls backwards...kinda sketchy, Mamoru.

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	18. 3d: Remainder

Okay, so this one is pretty short, but again: I have little posting time. Things are hectic. But the fact that I have almost completely finished the rewritten chapter of Standing Aside should make up for that...but hey, don't get confused. I won't be able to post them yet because I don't just want to replace the chapter and leave the rest of the cruddy ones up. So, I shall post them all at the same time, which may take a little while longer. Forgive me...

Enjoy if you can.

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

3d) Remainder

by sakanscales876

* * *

Mamoru couldn't help but feel pained as he watched Usagi get swept onto the floor by the instructor. Many people had asked her for a dance, but she had politely declined for some reason. He, himself had finally worked up enough courage to go over there and ask as she remained alone, but Nameless-girl-who-wouldn't-stop-chattering-in-his-ear-about-absolutely-nothing-and-stepping-on-his-feet-every-second had nearly pounced on him as the music began.

He watched her with uneasiness as the instructor of the dance-class made her laugh at something that she probably didn't even get; she was too kind for her own good.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Nameless-girl-who-wouldn't-stop-chattering-in-his-ear-about-absolutely-nothing-and-stepping-on-his-feet-every-second said shrilly, snapping his eyes back down to hers.

Confused, he quickly said, "Yeah, uhh, continue."

This shut her up momentarily and Mamoru went back to watching Usagi as she was twirled around by a dancer far more skilled than he. His stomach turned every time she smiled. Damn…he needed to ask her and fast.

A loud crunching sound was heard and Mamoru doubled over in pain, clutching his shoe. Well, he might ask Usagi if Nameless-girl-who-wouldn't-stop-chattering-in-his-ear-about-absolutely-nothing-and-stepping-on-his-feet-every-second left him with some circulation by the time she was done with him.

* * *

It's short, I know. Regardless, let me know what you thought!

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	19. 3e: Product

Okay...I know this post is around four days late, but things are getting hectic and I'm overwhelmed almost to the point of tears. I haven't had the time to write as of yet, but I'm _really_ trying to get things together. *Slams head onto table* As always, thank you to the reviewers. Everytime one of you reviews I feel encouraged to write (hint, hint) That's all I've really got to say for now...my mind is still on the VMA's last night...Oh, Lady Gaga...gotta love her!

Enjoy if you can!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

3e) Product

by sakanscales876

* * *

Someone slapped Mamoru's hand away just as he was about to grab the last bottle of his favorite shampoo. Sure, it was generic instead of the specially made stuff but he liked the smell. Baffled, he looked up to see Usagi standing there glowering at him with her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing taking the last bottle of _my_ favorite hair-product, Chiba?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

_Oh, so that's what she wanted_, Mamoru thought. With a frown, he reached down and picked it up. "Taking it home because _I _picked out the last bottle first."

"But _I _need it more. It's the only brand I use and I ran out," Usagi spat, snatching it out of his hands.

He quickly snatched it back. "Well, then I guess you're going to have to wait until they get some more back in, Odango."

"Mamoru-baka! I have to wash my hair! Do you have any idea how hard it is to care for this?" She grabbed one of her pigtails and shoved it in his face. "Can't you have a heart and pick out something else?"

Mamoru raised the bottle above his head, watching with amusement as Usagi jumped up and down, trying to get it from him. Her efforts were futile. "I'll tell you what: if you can reach this, then you can have it."

Usagi pouted as she tried just about everything to reach the bottle. Why the hell did Mamoru have to be so tall? Her arms were never going to reach! She barely even noticed the clerk that was tapping her slowly on the shoulder. Mamoru paled.

It was an old man…just great.

The old clerk slowly waited for the two of them to shuffle apart before he spoke. "Listen, kids. You two are kind of making a scene, so here's a solution: just shower together and get on with your lives so I don't have to call security, okay?"

With this, the old man grumpily waddled away, leaving a blushing Usagi and a choking Mamoru in his wake.

* * *

That's all for today!

And please review and I'll try as damn hard as I can to keep writing!

-Fishyscales ;)


	20. 3f: Tangent

I know I haven't been updating these as quickly as I used, to but with my schedule I doubt I'll be able to get more than two to three out a week. And note, this was also written at three in the morning, so if you're not satisfied with it just remember: 3AM, Family Guy, lots of soda, sliding across wooden floors in socks, and scaring the living shit out of my dog. And just real quick, I know that some of you leave questions in your reviews and I never answer them, so ask them again and I'll answer them next chapter because I really need to get my act together and start writing again. Standing Aside, you'll be happy to know, has been worked on this week, so I'll hope to have the rewrite of chapter one to my beta before the end of the month. And thank you to all my lovely reviewers! I wish you well!

Enjoy if you can.

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

3f) Tangent

by sakanscales876

* * *

"Ugh, Motoki-kun, I don't know what to do!" Mamoru groaned. "Every single time I bring up even a mere _hint_ that I like her she goes off into a tangent about something dumb and then looks at me innocently like she has _no_ clue!"

Motoki grimaced as he wiped out a glass, setting it down on the counter and giving Mamoru a fresh cup of coffee on the house. "Okay…but I'm not following. What exactly is it that she does?"

"Start a conversation."

"Okay," Motoki said slowly. "I hear that Ami-san aced that exam for-,"

"Do you like ponies? I love them. They're so cute and I think I'd die if they ever went extinct. What about you?"

Motoki frowned. "It's that bad?"

Mamoru sighed and rested his chin on the counter and drumming his fingers incessantly. "It's actually worse than that because she gets this frightened look in her eyes and begins rambling nervously like an idiot."

"Maybe she just likes you."

"Don't be stupid, Motoki."

"Then just flat out say, 'I like you, Usagi.'"

"That'd be weird."

"But it'd work," Motoki said sagely. "And besides, you have nothing else to lose."

"What about my dignity and pride?"

Motoki scratched his head, stealing a french-fry fresh out of the fryer and popping it into his mouth, wincing as it burned his tongue. "I think you lost those when you fell weak enough to like a girl, Mamoru-kun. And if you haven't gone soft…then I triple-dog-dare you to do it."

"I have not gone soft," his dark-haired friend growled.

"Hey, there's Usagi-chan!"

"WHERE?" Mamoru cried, swiveling in his stool before facing Motoki with a glare. "That's not funny."

"Uh, sure, Mamoru-kun. Whatever you say."

At that moment, Usagi skipped through the door, eyes immediately seeking Motoki at the counter. She made her way past all the teens and kids hanging about before plopping on the stool next to Mamoru.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted. "What's up?"

Motoki gave Mamoru little shooing motions, indicating that now was _the_ time.

"Odango, I have to talk to you about something important-," Mamoru began.

Motoki was fortunate to finally see what Mamoru was talking about. Usagi got a real nervous smile on her face, evading Mamoru entirely and asking Motoki, "Hey, can I get a milkshake?"

Fed up, Mamoru reached out and grasped her shoulders, forcing her to face him. "I like you."

Usagi froze. She didn't move, she didn't speak, hell, she didn't even blink! Mamoru cursed. Did he break her? He barely heard her when she slowly mumbled, "'Kay…"

Mamoru processed this slowly. "'Kay…? That's all you have to say? I spent weeks building up enough courage to tell you this, and all you have to say is 'Kay?"

She seemed to shrink back from him, her hands coming up to rest on the crevice between the bend of his elbows. "Umm…O-kay? Mamoru-san, I like you, too."

Mamoru crossed his arms firmly over his chest. "Good…wait, really?"

"Yes," she chuckled. "_Really._"

"That's good then because I wasn't going to take no for an answer," Mamoru said.

Motoki rolled his eyes with a smile before setting down a milkshake in front of Usagi. His friend was going as soft as a marshmallow.

* * *

I actually learned yesterday that they make marshmallows with lavender (the flowery herb that smells soooo good), and that's why they smell soooo good and it gives them part of their sweet taste. Enough of my ramblings though so...

Please review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	21. 3g: Fraction

Okay guys, it's been a while, but here's another drabble. I felt bad about not posting, and considering that the last one and this one is really short, I added an extra drabble on that was actually from last year's challenge (which I never completed), and edited some stuff so it would work for this theme. I don't usually like posting so late in the day...it's nighttime where I am, and I just don't like posting after dark...wierd, huh? So I finished the rewritten version of chapter one for Standing Aside, and this time, it has a lot more plot so I recommend that you read it and the new chapters when they come out so you can get caught up with the changes of the story, but I'll let you guys know when those come out. Also, StarryNight101, I sent you a document and I really hope you got it, but my e-mail was playing, "I'm going to screw around with your settings so you have a stroke!" so I have _no_ idea if you got it or if I need to send it again...eh, can't win 'em all.

Enjoy if you can!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

4g) Fraction (I)

by sakanascales876

* * *

Motoki had never seen a stranger couple than Usagi and Mamoru. Every day, they'd both come in, Mamoru's arm shrugged over her shoulder. They'd sit in a booth in the back, where he'd silently read or study, and she'd go off every once and a while to play some Sailor V, all the while chatting animatedly when he only seemed to be half-hearted about the conversation, though he listened with full-heart, if that made sense. Mamoru seemed to listen to anything that fell out of that girl's mouth.

Every day, Motoki would watch them from behind the counter as he was working to see what was it that could possibly be bringing two such different people together. For a while, he thought it was for looks, but then Mamoru and Usagi didn't seem like shallow enough people to be together over that. Especially not Usagi.

Sometimes, he wasn't even convinced they were going out, the way they kept to themselves. Sometimes, he just thought that maybe they were faking for some reason…but why would they do that?

With a sigh, Motoki walked over to their table to give them their order: two plates of fries and a large chocolate chip cookie. They said their hellos, their thank-you's, and their goodbyes, but something hadn't been right between all of them since the two had gotten together. As Motoki trudged silently back over to the counter, he saw Usagi breaking off half of the cookie and handing it to Mamoru.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. Usagi sharing a fraction of her cookie with Mamoru? And not just a fraction, but _half_?

Had to be love.

* * *

Fraction (II)

His sanity was hanging by a fraction. Prince Endymion loved Serenity to death, but she was _killing_ him. Every single decoration, Christmas tree, ornament, or heck, even the tinsel earned him a question. It wasn't her fault that she didn't know what Christmas was. It wasn't her fault that she had taken the stockings off of the grand fireplace and stuck them on her feet.

She didn't know any better. But wherever there was a decoration, there was an annoying question waiting for him. And worst of all, they hadn't come across any mistletoe yet! He knew that he would not mind answering to _that _one.

He was so frustrated that he finally had to just take her outside of the palace to the gardens. She had seen them a million times, so there was nothing unfamiliar that she could possibly find to badger him about. He sat by the tree where they had first met, watching her lovingly as she pranced through the flowers, stopping to smell nearly every one.

Sighing, Endymion closed his eyes, relishing the peaceful moment.

"ENDY!"

In less than ten seconds, he was at her side, sword drawn. She was looking at the sky horrifically as though they were both about to be attacked by one of Jupiter's lightning bolts.

"What happened? Are you alright?" he asked.

She pointed a shaky finger to the sky. "The clouds! They're melting!"

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Look at all the white stuff falling! The clouds are melting and falling on us!"

"Sere, it's only snow." He slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Snow?"

He took her hand and led her over to the tree, sitting down with her in his lap.

"It's like rain, except frozen," he explained.

Her eyes widened. "Is there going to be thunder?"

He shook his head. "Snow is a good thing. It just gets a bit cold."

"Yes, I already realized that," she mumbled into his chest.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked as he draped his cape over her shoulders.

She looked up at him nervously. "I thought you were getting annoyed by all the questions I was asking."

"No, just irritated that out of all the decorations that my mother insists upon putting this palace, we couldn't fine one strand of mistletoe," he joked, kissing her forehead lightly.

"What's a mistle-" she didn't finish, for his lips covering hers supplied all the answers she ever needed.

* * *

Okay, so I hope those satisfy you guys for a bit! I'll try to post ASAP!

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	22. 4a: Chalk

**IMPORTANT** (SORTA)**: **REVISED CHAPTER 1 OF STANDING ASIDE HAS BEEN POSTED! Please go check it out!  
The rest of the crappy chapters are still up, because I have to revise them and replace them before I put out chapter five, so please be patient. Only chapter one has been replaced so I don't recommend you guys read the other chapters because frankly, they're crap, and I can't take them down yet. Also, thank you soooooooo much to the person who beta'd it: **StarryNight101! **You saved that chapter's life and potentially got all the errors out, so thank you! And no problems on having to wait until Sunday to send it back; keep 'em as long as you want; it's never a problem!

So, other than that, here's a drabble for you guys! And please go check out and review the reposted chapter one!

ENJOY! Sorry, I'm in a 'capital letters' mood today. ;)

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

Fourth Period: Art

4a) Chalk

by sakanscales876

* * *

He raised an eyebrow in amusement as she slowly edged her way around the sidewalk as if afraid that there was a giant pothole she was about to fall into. With her arms completely spread out, she pressed her back against a nearby building and slowly shuffled along. Her eyes were trained on the ground and her feet, and Mamoru was hoping for nothing more than to see her slip. Though rude to think, it still would have been funny to watch her shriek in horror while falling to the pavement.

"Odango, what _are _you doing?" he laughed as she reached the other side, panting.

Usagi looked at him with all seriousness. "I was trying to get around that construction hole, baka. What happened to your brains?"

"They're happily in my head, thank you, but that's not a construction hole." He pointed to the ground. "That's one of those artist's chalk drawings that they put on the sidewalk."

"Why would anybody want to do that?"

"It's to enhance the scenery," Mamoru explained.

"And putting a giant, open man-hole in the middle of the sidewalk is supposed to brighten my day how?"

He groaned. "It's just a drawing."

"That looks pretty real to me…" she grumbled, taking an involuntary step back.

"It's not," he argued. "Just go stand on it; it's just a drawing."

Usagi shook her head, beginning to back away slowly. Impatiently, he grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the 'construction zone' ignoring her screaming and flailing the entire time. Laughing, he lifted her up right over the 'man hole' and pretended to lower her in. In her attempts to flee, her shoe flew off and to both their surprises it fell right down the 'imaginary' hole.

Mamoru immediately hauled her away, ignoring the furious glare she directed at his back. "Shit. It _is _real."

"Darnit, baka! You owe me a new shoe!"

* * *

Let me know what you thought!

Please review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	23. 4b: Paint

Sorry about the late update, guys. I just fell into a massive flu a couple of days ago and I'm struggling to be well again by Monday so the rest of my week isn't turned into a living hell. About the drabble today, however, I've got to admit that this one was most definitely my favorite. It's not a funny one, but it was interesting to write. Also, I'd like to thank the people who reviewed last time, both the drabble and the reposted chapter of Standing Aside. Since I've just got to rest today because I got all my work done, I'm going to get some writing in for the new chapter 2. People have been asking me to add some Dark Kingdom interactions in there, which I wasn't really planning on doing. But a new idea for it popped into my head that would add a little bit to the story, so if you want some SM TK interactions and such in there let me know!

That's all I've got for now. Enjoy!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

4b) Paint

by sakanascales876

* * *

The first time she came across the mirror, she was perplexed. In the middle of the forest, ornately dressed in vines of ivy with violet crystals protruding from the sides, young Beryl couldn't help but allow her eyes to sparkle as she took in the golden trimmings around the edges. It didn't even occur to her to look at the glass; it was dull and bland compared to the beauty before her.

But when she finally looked, she discovered why something so plain as reflective-glass would be clothed like a king.

It was her face: same nose, eyes…but everything else was different. This version of her seemed happy, which was something she had yet to achieve in her young life. Her charcoal hair looked as if it were on fire, her ears were now pointed, her teeth sharper than her ears. Yes, she looked happy, but she also looked evil; she was tainted by an evil wish.

What she saw around her, however, made her twist about just to see if it was true. Fires, explosions, death and ruin corrupted the beautiful version of herself, and now when she looked there was a handsome man beside her, grinning evilly with dark hair and even darker blue eyes. It was like a portrait in a painting, though the blood dripping from the seams of the mirror seemed to warn her not to follow this path.

But she looked _happy_.

This man, she decided, would be hers. This future would belong to her. How she craved _greatness_, and she wanted nothing more than to be one who was known as nothing but magnificent. Nothing would stand in her way; she simply wouldn't allow it.

She didn't even see the 'painting' drip before her and morph slowly to form the picture of her cold, unmoving body, sword protruding from her stomach at the hands of a furious hands of a Golden Senshi.

.../.../.../.../.../.../...

The first time he came across the mirror, he was furious. This planet on which he and his people were forced to dwell on held no life, no beauty. Only the barren wasteland that was Nemesis greeted him, a chilling wind sweeping the repulsive dirt around the revolting ground.

He desired nothing more than _beauty_, which there seemed to be none of there.

Dimande knew he was going to be a king one day; the throne was a good as his. But who would want to rule over a place and people as truly ugly as on Nemesis? Not him.

When he approached the mirror, his breath was momentarily stolen as he beheld the beauty. An image, a picture, a painting of himself standing with a woman beside him, looking happier than he ever had before. The pair contrasted rather nicely; his white hair with her blonde hair, and his amethyst eyes with her cerulean ones.

She was beautiful. They were beautiful.

In the background, he was on Earth. It was a magnificent, lush planet of which he had always heard wonderful tales about. Could it be that the planet of utmost power would one day be his? Could he dream?

This woman, he decided, would be his. This future would belong to him. He was powerful and wise enough to attain what he saw, and nobody would stand in his way; his simply wouldn't allow it.

He didn't see as the 'painting' began to drip before him and slowly morph into his cold, unmoving body, cradled in the arms of the mysterious beautiful woman, who was being cradled in the arms of an even more mysterious, dark man, who would one day be his threat.

.../.../.../.../.../.../...

The first time she had come across the mirror alone, well, somewhat alone, she was wary. This mirror, no matter how regal and majestic it may be had been the cause of their suffering in the last millennia. She could remember seeing it only once before; trapped before Nehelenia with nothing but saving her future in mind. She had succeeded, but the journey there had almost seemed not worth the hassle at the time.

Endymion roughly locked his fingers with hers, pulling her protectively to his side, as if thinking that the mirror was about to attack her.

"Whatever it just showed you," he breathed into her ear. "It was an illusion. Don't let yourself fall-,"

"I was merely reminiscing…Chaos would have to be a fool to believe that I would fall victim to one of its tricks."

Endymion nodded, but Serenity could see the uncertainty in his eyes. There were no bounds to what Chaos would do for another chance at Universal-domination. This portal, Serenity knew, was not the last way she could escape into the world, for if it was, she would have had half the mind just to destroy it. But it wasn't; it would never stop.

With a sigh, she stepped forward. Endymion continued to clutch her hand, staring down every couple of seconds to check on how intently she was staring at the mirror, waiting to intervene. This disappointed her a bit, showing his lack of faith in her. Surely he did not believe that she would fall into one of the mirror's twisted illusions, did he? But she was curious-always had been, always will be-and she wanted to see what this mirror could promise that could actually make her believe that she wanted it.

Slowly, she allowed her eyes to focus on the depths of the mirror, inhaling sharply when liquids slithered from the top of the glass and slid softly into an image. It was like a painting of the same her, the same Endymion, and she was cradling what seemed to be a baby Chibi-usa in her arms, looking happier than she ever had. She was no queen, he was no king, and they were just themselves. How she had always wanted to be normal. If only there was a way she could attain it…

A deafening crack resounded through the room, and Serenity's image slowly spidered, and then shattered. Glass fragments cascaded upon them, but Endymion was holding her away, allowing her sobs to be muffled in his chest. She could see from behind him what he had done. His sword was stabbed directly in the middle of the mirror; thank God he had been watching her.

Serenity allowed him to practically drag her out of the room in full knowledge that had he not been there, she would have fallen just as her enemies had, and not even _she_ was immune to the temptations of Chaos.

* * *

Well, that's all for today. Let me know what you thought, and I'll try my hardest to get another one out on Wednesday!

Please review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	24. 4c: Paper

Well, here's another drabble. See, I kept my promise, didn't I? But hey, just to let you know, unfortunately I didn't get to work on Standing Aside this past weekend because of the fact that I felt too sick to move, but that's just an excuse. But this weekend's a three day weekend for me, and I'm actually almost completely better again, so I am bound to get some writing done! Woot! I haven't really got anything else to say for now, but there was a surprising lack of reviews last chapter, which is understandable due to my erratic uploads. But thank you to those people who did review!

Enjoy if you can.

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

4c) Paper

by sakanascales876

* * *

"What the _hell_ happened to your hands?"

Usagi's breath hitched as she looked down at her hands, which each contained a total of at least thirty band-aids, but the third degree burns beneath them were still evident. She couldn't exactly tell Mamoru that she'd nearly been barbecued by a youma the night previously, could she?

"I-uh…it's a paper cut," she lied, turning away and fleeing to her favorite stool. Hopefully he would get the hint to leave her alone.

But Mamoru followed, plucking the red-rimmed menu from her hand. "If that's a paper cut then you're a genius."

"I'll have you know, that I got this paper cut from reading a book, baka, and it's _your_ fault," she lied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly is it my fault?"

He watched with amusement as she seemed to ponder this. "Well…you're the one that's always telling me to read a real book!" she spluttered. Then, with furious eyes, she held out her hands. "And look what happened. Thanks _a lot _Mamoru-baka!"

"I'm sorry that you don't know how to read a book properly," he said with a shrug. Then, he turned to Motoki. "Get me one milkshake, please!"

He could feel Usagi peering at him from the corner of her eyes, which he tried to ignore for the most part until the milkshake was set before him. She eyed it enviously.

"You're getting a milkshake?" she asked in disbelief.

He blushed, not knowing if he really had enough courage to do this. "Yeah…with your hands like that...well, someone has to feed you."

* * *

That one was a little short, but a little cute, so that's all I've got for today. But this weekend in going to leave me some opportunities to update, so look out!

Please review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	25. 4d: Brush

Well, here's a drabble. Hopefully, I can keep churning the rest of them out at this pace, but no promises. Thank you for all the people that read last chapter...there were a lot. And thank you to you reviewers! You're awesome. Today, I can actually write, and the good part is is that I actually want to, too. I've just been afraid of delving into that project because lately I haven't been up to par with my writing, but whatever. So hooray for productivity! I don't really have a lot to say...stay awesome?

Enjoy if you can.

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

4d) Brush

by sakanscales876

* * *

Since the age of fourteen, Usagi had always been used to when Luna would always hop into her bed at night and rest right above her pillow, kneading into her head unconsciously in her sleep. Sometimes, she could feel her tail brush against her face in the middle of the night, tickling her awake. Usagi had always complained and threatened that if Luna did it again, she would throw her outside, but she never realized how much she would miss it.

Now, she lies in an unfamiliar bed, next to a very familiar person, but still feeling very out of place. Luna is not there to make sure she goes to bed at a reasonable hour, or make sure that she got all of her work done. She isn't there to comfort her; she isn't kneading her head, and she isn't brushing her tail against her face.

She missed Luna, but she didn't want to admit it. Tears sluggishly dripped down her face. What was she going to do now? She couldn't possibly make it through every night like this anymore! With a shiver, she felt someone brush her hair out of her face.

"Are you alright?" Mamoru asked, concerned, slowing pulling her back into a hug.

She nodded, sniffling. "I miss Luna."

She could feel him grin into the back of her neck. "I know. And now you get me! I'm not really sure how that thought is supposed to make you feel better, though."

Usagi smiled and snuggled into his chest, knowing that now she'd never have problems sleeping again.

* * *

Stupid and fluffly, I know. Done at three in the morning, I know. But hey, I'm pretty sure you guys will be liking the next one...it's a more 'funny' one.

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	26. 4e: Oil

Well, here's another drabble guys. I've got to say, I haven't been real happy about the lack of responses for the last couple of chapters minus you awesome reviewers who always find time to leave a comment. But, I hope that will change because the rest of these drabbles, I'm pretty sure, were meant to be funny. Anyway, I've got to be honest: I have basically _no_ time to write anymore, aside from posting these. The next time I'll be able to write will probably be over Thanksgiving break, which I'm dedicating entirely to getting caught up in Standing Aside, which I'm going to say has completely changed from its original (and plotless) corse, so I'm going to post it into another story so it doesn't mess with anything.

Enjoy if you can.

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

4e) Oil

by sakanascales876

* * *

"Oh, Motoki—Thank God you're here!" Mamoru rasped, unlocking the door and roughly pulling his best friend inside. "I'm freaking out, man, _freaking_ out!"

Baffled, Motoki reached down into the bag slung around his elbow and pulled out a bottle. "I got the oil or whatever like you asked but what's going on here-,"

"MOTOKI-ONII-SAN! Is that you? Help me! Mamoru-baka's gone insane!"

He looked at a wincing Mamoru warily. "You didn't."

"I didn't have a choice!" Mamoru cried. "We-we were walking and I pulled a rose out of my sub-space pocket and she looked at me, Motoki-kun! She _knew_. A-and now she knows my secret and I can't let her leave or she'll blab about it to everyone so I knocked her out before she could scream and she's been locked here for like two days and she wants to take a bath but she won't stop screaming until I got her some scented bath oil for God-knows-what because she's starting to smell but now I'm freaking out, Motoki, I'm freaking out! I don't know what to do and I can't let her leave and I made that one girl Naru or whatever tell Odango's parents that she was staying with them but…I just don't know what to do!"

Motoki watched in amusement as his friend nearly reached heart-attack mode, clutching his chest and breathing heavily. Faintly, he could still hear Usagi calling his name in that background. Bath oils in hand, he walked over to the living room in hopes to calm the girl down before she proceeded to give Mamoru a real heart attack. To his horror, she was tied tightly down in one of Mamoru's arm-chairs, looking madder than hell.

"Usa-chan, I brought you your bath oils," he said gently as Mamoru slowly crept into the room from behind.

Usagi looked at him frantically, struggling beneath her bonds. "You have to get me out of here, Motoki-onii-san!"

He sighed and grinned sheepishly over at Mamoru, who was backed as far away from the girl as possible. "Sorry, Usa, but I can't let you go now that you know Mamoru's secret, but at least now you can take your bath."

Usagi paused for a moment, staring furiously at Mamoru. "You're keeping me here only because I found out that you're _gay?_"

"Well, yes…wait, err, _gay?_" Motoki spluttered, gaping at a horrified Mamoru who looked just as shocked as he was.

"Yeah," Usagi continued. "I mean, the lunatic pulls out a rose and starts waving it around like a baton, he's never had a girlfriend that I can think of, and the green jacket. It all adds up!"

Motoki watched as Mamoru's face slowly turned red; not the embarrassed red, the angry red. His fists were curled at his sides, and Motoki distinctly heard him choke as he said, "Motoki-kun: conference. Hallway. Now."

Motoki nodded grimly as jogged into the hallway, Mamoru walking stiffly in front of him. He waited until they were by the door before he said, "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

But Motoki didn't answer, for he was clutching his stomach, hovering over the ground as he nearly burst with laughter. Mamoru didn't find this amusing. With incredible strength, he hauled his friend up, glaring murderously into his eyes before shoving him back on his feet. Motoki stopped laughing.

"She doesn't know that I'm Tuxedo Kamen, but now she thinks I'm gay. How in the world am I going to get myself out of this?" Mamoru asked, nearly punching the wall before realizing that Usagi was just in the other room.

Motoki shrugged. "Hey, I have no clue. I just came over here to give you that oil crap that took me _forever _to find, thank you very much."

He walked towards the door, shoving his feet back into his shoes before waving to Mamoru, who was looking desperately between the door and the living room.

"You can't leave!" he cried. "She'll skin me alive!"

"Is that a bad thing?"

"It is when she thinks I'm gay!"

Motoki rolled his eyes. "Listen, just go in there and tell her it was all a big misunderstanding and that this was all an elaborate stunt to tell her that you like her or whatever because we all know that you do. I mean, you've literally got her tied to a freaking chair in your living room, and now you've got some scented oils so I don't think you'll have a real problem doing this…kinky, Mamoru, kinky."

He narrowly missed the vase hurtled at his face as he ducked out the door.

* * *

Here ya go. I hope you liked it, and I'll try and post again soon!

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	27. 4f: Clay

Happy Wednesday and belated Halloween! I'm not really in a good mood right now because of a tragic occurrence that happened today, but there are still things I need to address. One: Thank you very much to all the people who reviewed last drabble! I'm glad to know you're still out there and I'm not on anybody's hitlist...I think. Second: **Red Elephant:** I need to personally thank you for the review. First of all, I'm happy that you're always able to find some constructive criticism, which helps me greatly, but you just basically un-writer's-blocked my mind. Recently, I'd been looking for that _one _(not that there aren't more) element that kept detracting from my stories, and for the longest time I couldn't tell what it was, which inhibited my writing. You are absolutely correct: Mamoru's persona has been incredibly off, and _that_ is the key thing I want to fix. I'm not going to go back and rewrite these drabbles, however, because all of these were done during June and July for the LJ community, and I want them to stay as they were written in the challenge...it's difficult for me to explain but it just wouldn't seem write to change it all now. But anyway, thank you so much for that advice, because now I can actually sit down and string a sentence together.

This one's kind of short, but I like it. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

4f) Clay

by sakanscales876

* * *

Mamoru loved collecting different kinds of pottery. Whether or not they were glass vases, clay pots, or ceramic jars, he loved the way they gave off a warm feeling in his apartment.

That is, until Usagi fell into his life. Literally.

The first vase to go was the one that sat above his TV, tall and proud. By the time Usagi had finished tripping into it, however, it was small and smashed. The second and third ones on the small end-table near in the hallway weren't entirely her fault. _He _had been the one that had pressed her against them while they were engaged in…err, activities. The fourth one had been hurled at his head in the midst of a fight between them, and now, his fifth and final vase lay shattered on the floor, him kneeling above it, and Usagi standing in the corner, guiltily crying and profusely apologizing to him while proclaiming that she was the worst girlfriend in the history of life.

Sometimes he just wanted to shake her until she fell to pieces and see how much _she_ liked it.

But, Mamoru closed his eyes slowly and counted to ten…his last baby was broken, but she was worth this. He'd make it.

Besides, Mamoru loved collecting tacky, plastic, bubble-wrapped figurines.

* * *

I'll most likely have another one of these out by this weekend. Oh, and by the way: I'm looking for ideas of what you guys want to see next. These drabbles are almost completely posted, and when they're gone I won't really have much of anything to put out while I'm working on Standing Aside. I could do more drabbles, I guess, but I want to see what you guys think!

Please review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	28. 4g: Sketch

Well, here's another drabble! After this there are only _seven_ left! Augh! What am I going to post for you guys after that? I need ideas! I'd like to thank the reviewers, as always, who are awesome. But other then that, I don't really have much to say today. Oh, here's a little tidbit that probably holds no relevance to you, or you probably won't care. I got to see Robert Hess yesterday (if that's how his name's spelt) from Hell's Kitchen. He made us shrimp and it was so good. See, this is the kind of nonsense that happens when I run out of important things to say...

Enjoy if you can! Long live the shrimp!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

4g) Sketch

by sakanascales876

* * *

Michiru settled her easel into a soft patch of grass, readying herself for another wonderful painting. Recently, a whole bout of inspiration had hit her every time she came to this park, and it was all thanks to some guy and girl that always showed up.

They were there almost every day, she mused, and every single time, the guy would say something to the girl who would completely flip out and then they would insult each other to kingdom come until they were both satisfied. This continued almost every day, like nothing had ever happened. Michiru was wise; she knew all good things would come to an end, and she decided to capture her paintings soon, or she'd never get the opportunity again.

She had nearly a dozen canvases back at her house of this couple, who usually were screaming at each other. Even Haruka had liked them, and she did not care much for art at all.

Michiru smiled as she watched them approach the fountain, her pencils ready to sketch whatever scene was about to unfold. Unfortunately, when they came across each other both of them smiled. They even began to converse without venom lacing their tones. They even looked happy.

Scowling, Michiru began to gather her supplies. She knew that all good things would come to an end eventually. Well, for her anyway.

With a sigh, she began to make her way home, inspiration completely gone. Whatever. It seemed that the tides were taking her elsewhere. She'd been neglecting her violin anyway.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Leave a review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	29. 5a: Pop Quiz

Here's another chapter! I haven't really got much to address today, but I just wanted to say: **ducky-duck** (the anonymous reviewer) - Thanks a ton for the review, but I don't really understand what you mean by 'jewelry shopping'...was that an idea for a fic or...I'm confused.  
I'm already working on the next chapter of Standing Aside, but just letting you guys know, it will be re-posted under a different story, I think. The plot has certainly took a turn that I hadn't originally expected, and I'm adding a lot more Senshi business into it if that makes you all happy.

Nothing else to say. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

5a) Pop Quiz

by sakanascales876

* * *

Tuxedo Kamen lunged into the park, his legs carrying as fast as they could to a more secluded section of the park. He could sense it: the imminent danger that she was being placed in, or about to be. Never had he ever felt the tug of the mind-link as powerful as this one—which made him nervous. But the anxiety flittered away like a happy 'lil butterfly when he finally came into the clearing.

From his side, Venus swooped her arms up and down as if to indicate the obvious fact that he'd arrived while Mercury pushed a button on the small device in her hand.

"Damn, he's good," Jupiter commented, crossing her arms over her chest with a scowl.

Tuxedo Kamen looked around. The Senshi were all okay; Sailor Moon was okay. There was no youma, and in particular, no reason for him to be there. He took a step forward, his eyes guarded.

"What's going on?"

Venus waved her gloved hand dismissively, flipping her hair over her shoulder before rolling her eyes. He couldn't even express how 'blond' she looked at the moment. "We were just conducting a little test, and might I say that you fell for it a little too easily. Mercury, what are his stats?" Well gee, that didn't sound too 'blond' at all.

_Note to self: Watch out for Venus._

"From the time Sailor Moon became well, Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen arrived in 2 minutes and thirty one seconds," Mercury informed them. "Which is incredibly different than all the other times he's showed up to a battle. Usually he doesn't appear until Sailor Moon is in utter danger, or he merely hides until that time comes." She gave him an incredibly accusing look.

He took a step back, tugging nervously on his collar as Sailor Moon said, "Wait, I'm confused. Why'd he show up so early?"

Mars bopped her lightly on the head. "He always shows up this early, baka, but he hides only until he has to save you when you screw up, leaving us with all the dirty work!"

"Oh…" Sailor Moon frowned, staring quietly at her feet as the Senshi slowly began taking menacing steps forward.

Tuxedo Kamen began backing away. This _really _wasn't looking good. At all. They were most likely going to kill him for this.

"I think that's sweet!" Sailor Moon almost seemed surprised as she said this. She gave him a sympathetic glance but remained rooted to the spot.

"_Sweet?_" Mars screeched, rounding on her leader. "That's the most cowardly, lazy thing he could do! Have you any idea how much _time_ we could save if he'd get off his butt and actually help us?"

Tuxedo Kamen winced. He wanted to scream that normally he _didn't _show up this early and the only reason he was so quick was because the mind link between him and Sailor Moon was extra strong that day for whatever reason, and that he'd been approximately one block away when he felt it! But then, these were girls. Girls that would kick his ass no matter what he said...

Sailor Moon shrugged. "I-It's not that big of a deal, guys."

"You could be spending that extra time _sleeping_," Jupiter mentioned, curling her fist.

"Oh…" Moon mumbled. Her face scrunched in revelation. "Oh!" She narrowed a glare at Tuxedo Kamen. "Carry on, then."

.../.../.../.../...

Usagi frowned as Mamoru trudged into the Arcade. His steps were slow and tiny, each one making him cringe with pain. 'Huh,' she thought. 'Karma must've finally caught up with that guy…' From the corner of her eyes she watched him slump onto a stool, groaning in relief.

What a weirdo.

* * *

This was definitely done at three in the morning, and I know it's cliched...argh. I don't think I should participate in this next year. Almost my entire summer is a blur!

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	30. 5b: Chemistry

Ugh...I really hated this one. I did it so late at night and I hated how it turned out, but I had to finish the challenge...  
Fortunately for you guys, I decided to post up another one that _vaguely_ falls under this theme, so don't start flaming me when you're all like, "Hey...that wasn't _completely_ about chemistry! I want the time I wasted reading that back!"  
Thanks to you reviewers; I appreciate the support! And hooray! I'll have time to write on Standing Aside soon!

Enjoy if you can. And don't take the first drabble too seriously...I know I didn't.

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

5b) Chemistry

by sakanascales876

* * *

Kenji had always taken pride in the fact that whenever Usagi had a problem, a _genuine _problem, she would always come to him for help. It wasn't that he was better than Ikuko in the advice department; he was positive that Usagi went to her about anything remotely girlish to avoid his blood pressure from going up. It was just that when things were serious, rights from wrongs were brought into question or even trivial things like explaining to her how certain things ran and helping her with her homework, _he _was the one that she went to.

He especially liked helping her with her homework. Kenji knew how much Usagi struggled in school, but for some reason there was always a comfort in knowing _exactly _what she was having trouble with and what he could do to help.

But when he walked down the stairs one Sunday afternoon (they always did her weekend homework together because she never wanted to do her homework in the middle of what she called her 'relaxing days'), she wasn't sitting at the table with her books open, ready to learn. Instead, she was tugging on her sweatshirt, standing in the hallway next to that Chiba Mamoru guy.

"Usagi, where are you going?" he asked softly yet sternly. "You haven't finished your homework yet and it's a bit late to be going out."

Usagi huffed and slung her bag over her shoulder, grunting under the weight of her books. Kenji watched with a mix of anger and approval as Mamoru gently tugged the bag off of her and opted to carry it himself.

Usagi smiled in gratitude. "We were going to head over to the Arcade and Mamo-chan was going to help me with my chemistry homework there because he's really good at it. Come on, Papa, you know my grades have been getting better now that he's my-"

"Don't say the B-word."

"Sorry," she mumbled sheepishly. "Can I _please_ go?"

Narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms firmly, he regarded Mamoru. The first time the boy had stepped into his house, Kenji had made it loud and clear that he hated him, hoping he would leave. All in all, he didn't hate the boy, but Mamoru didn't know that. Kenji had made sure that Mamoru _thought_ he disliked him by treating him coldly and always dropping hints that it would be better off if he wasn't around.

Even though his daughter said that this Mamoru was so smart, he couldn't realize why Kenji treated him the way he did. He didn't notice the fact that Kenji never scolded him when he returned Usagi _way _beyond her regular curfew, or the fact that he didn't even question him on their whereabouts. Mamoru only noticed the cold stares and the menacing glances towards the family shot-gun. He didn't even think to notice that whenever Usagi left with him, he usually never asked where they were going, or that Kenji never called when he knew that Mamoru and Usagi were alone at his apartment.

He did this because if Mamoru ever caught on that Kenji actually trusted him and liked him, he would probably never see his daughter again. He wouldn't think to be so polite and courteous around the family, and he wouldn't even regard Kenji's opinion as important anymore. At least, that's what he _thought_ would happen.

Heaving a sigh, Kenji murmured, "Fine, but don't think that this is going to be a regular thing."

Usagi squealed and raced up the stairs to get her shoes. Kenji stared almost pleadingly after her…it was as if she didn't even need him anymore. She didn't even face him when she came back down, beckoning Mamoru to follow.

"U-Usa," he stuttered. "I just remembered! I have a class in forty five minutes! Can we do this tomorrow?"

Kenji blinked at him. That had to be the cheapest, fakest act he had ever seen-

"Ugh, but this assignment is due tomorrow and I really don't get it!" Usagi whined as Mamoru placed her bag onto the kitchen table.

He didn't look at her, but stared beyond her at Kenji. "You can ask your dad…he was going to help you with it in the first place."

Hands dropping to his sides, Kenji stared at Mamoru, each holding a mute understanding. He took it back: Mamoru was as smart as Usagi said, perhaps more. Perhaps he realized that there were just some things that he wasn't willing to have replaced.

'Perhaps,' he thought as Usagi plopped down at the table, shuffling through her schoolwork. 'I might be able to give him a little more leeway after all.'

* * *

5b: Chemistry: Alternate  
Set in a sort of AU Crystal Tokyo

* * *

"You got my daughter _poison_?"

Kunzite cringed at the tone of Endymion's voice. Was it really that horrible of a gift? He knew he wasn't really good at shopping for people, as Minako constantly reminded him, but it was the thought that counted, right?

He gulped and nodded. "Yeah, for destroying her enemies and stuff."

Open mouth, insert foot.

"Chibi-usa's _four_, Kunzite. _Four!_ How on Earth would she make enemies by the age of four?" Endymion shouted.

"Well, you never know, Endymion-sama." Yeah, he was _so_ dead.

Jadeite nodded mockingly. "Yeah, Kunz, what were you _thinking_?"

Kunzite resolved that tomorrow's training session would not end well for poor Jadeite. That is, if he even made it to tomorrow.

Serenity, dear, _sweet_, Serenity, decided to step in before her husband had thoughtlessly killed his favorite and most trusted general.

"Come now, Endy. Kunzite just wasn't thinking properly."

Dear, _sweet,_ his ass.

Endymion stared at her as though she were insane. "What if she had swallowed it, Sere?"

"Well, she didn't and we should be thankful for that. Just calm down, Endy; everyone is fine," she said softly.

"Getting me a new sword was fine. Getting you a magic mirror that allows you to see what your enemies are doing was fine. But getting our four year old daughter a bottle of highly fatal Mercurian poison for Christmas _is not fine!_"

The silver haired woman rolled her eyes.

"You're over-reacting," she muttered.

"You're under-reacting!" he yelled.

Kunzite could see that this conversation would not be turning to his favor any time soon. He looked around the room for any means of escape, but could fine none other than the blond man laughing hysterically on the couch.

"_Y-you should see what Jadeite got for Serenity."_

Jadeite immediately stopped laughing, a blush staining his cheeks.

"Well, err...it's not really important right now..." he said nervously.

Zoicite, Nephrite, Endymion, and Serenity all looked to him. Kunzite grinned evilly as Jadeite shrank back into the couch.

"So, what'd you get me?" Serenity asked curiously.

Jadeite slowly turned white as a package materialized in his arms. "It's just meant lightly…you know: _as a joke_."

Endymion looked at the box as it was handed to his wife, and then glared back at Jadeite.

"Nothing's going to pop out of this, right?" he asked.

Jadeite shook his head quickly. "No, sir."

Kunzite could smell Jadeite's fear, and thought, 'Better you than me.'

Kunzite knew that he should have felt sorry for his friend as Serenity unwrapped the present, but it was just too damn funny. He barely contained a grin as Serenity pulled the item out of the box, lifting it up for the whole room to see.

He looked to Nephrite who was silently laughing as Jadeite took a step back from the King.

"You bought _my wife_ lingerie?"

None of them could win on Christmas.

* * *

I know...Thanksgiving's around the corner, but the second drabble was acutally written two years ago and the theme was present. But the whole 'poison' thing made it fit a little bit into chemistry...  
I don't like the first one too much. It's the epitome of lazy-work. But I hope you liked them anyway.

Please Review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	31. 5c: Experiment

Sorry for the delay guys! I've been counting down the days to get to this week. Hooray for Thanksgiving break to all of you American readers out there! And since I've gotten all my work done, the rest of this week is dedicated to writing and Black Friday shopping for Christmas gifts (which I kind of hate...getting mauled to death by a group of old women trying to go after the same sewing maching is not what I'd call fun. That's why I send my six foot tall older brother in for me now ;) ). Today's the day I've been waiting for. First of all, My Chemical Romance released their new album: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. It's a pretty good album so check it out if you can. Secondly, today is the day I see Harry Potter! I'm just letting you know this because I may just die after seeing it because my life will be complete, so if there's no more updates you'll know what happened.  
And finally, thank you to all my reviewers! You guys really make my day!

Hope you like this one!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

5c) Experiment

by sakanascales876

* * *

When Usagi married Mamoru, there was no question as to where Luna was going to stay. Well, in her mind anyway. The day Usagi moved into his apartment, Luna was right by her side, barking orders at Mamoru to lift this or move that as if she owned the place. Usagi had always said that she played her part of a cat a little _too_ well.

Over the next couple of weeks the couple began dropping subtle hints for her to take a hike to Minako's and not come back, but Luna was unfazed. Wherever her charge went, she went also. Except for their bedroom; she preferred to steer clear of that area. Things were going great for her-she was making Usagi and Mamoru miserable-and she couldn't see any down sides.

That is, until Mamoru started going _funny_.

Luna had always prided herself in the fact that she was an early riser, or was when she compared herself to Usagi. It had taken some time to get used to the fact that Mamoru actually got up every morning before her. But she never got used to the fact that whenever he thought she was asleep, he would…_examine _her. He would measure her arms, legs, ears, shine lights in her eyes, _draw blood_ and record every damn thing on a clipboard that he magically seemed to pull out of his ass just to scare her.

And he scribbled…about her…things that he shouldn't have known.

It only took one day for Luna to find the 'documentations,' or so he called them.

_Luna_

_Blood Type: Unknown_

_Species: Mauian_

_Testing shows an abnormal amount of Iron and 'magic' in the blood. Whether or not she is dangerous still remains to be proven. _

_Shows authority, tries to control me within my own home. Implies mental weaknesses._

_Testing shall continue until more is known about the species in question._

Holy. Friggin'. Crap.

He was experimenting on her? Backing away, horrified, Luna sprinted over to the phone.

.../.../.../.../.../.../...

Usagi snuggled into Mamoru, who had his arms encased around her so she wouldn't fall off the couch. They laid there, relaxed until Usagi mumbled, "I still think what you did was mean."

Mamoru kept his eyes closed, softly stroking Usagi's hair. "Hey, I got her out of the apartment."

"Yeah, but she's going to think that you're some kind of scientist freak now."

"She'll be fine with Artemis," he breathed. "And I'd do it all over again if it meant getting her out of here…I don't need a cat telling me the correct way to press my shirts."

Usagi frowned. "She didn't mean anything by it; she was just trying to help."

Mamoru sighed, tugging the blanket on them a little higher, snugly tucking it in around Usagi's neck. "Well, she didn't threaten you about the noises coming out of our bedroom last weekend."

"That isn't nearly as bad as what she did to me," Usagi huffed, absentmindedly tracing circles on his chest. "She pumped enough birth control through my system to ensure that Chibi-Usa won't be conceived for at least another eight years."

* * *

This one was pretty fun to write, and I hope you all liked it. I'll probably have more out this week while I'm working on Standing Aside.

Please review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	32. 5d: Question

Here's a drabble guys! I don't really have much to say today...I'm going to be working on Standing Aside today, so hopefully by the end of the day I'll have the rewritten versions of chapters two and three finished. As always, thank you to the reviewers!

_Oh, wait. _Just like the theme, I have a question for you guys. For all you fan-fic writers out there, do you know if you delete a chapter of a story, does it delete _every_ trace of it ever being there. Like does it get rid of that particular chapter's reviews, alerts, etc. I just want to know because it'd be a lot easier if I could delete the other chapters of Standing Aside and then add the rewritten versions onto them.

Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

5d) Question

by sakanascales876

* * *

At least thirty flustered hands shot up into the air when Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion walked through the door for their daughter's show-and-tell. Chibi-Usa skipped happily back to her seat as even the teacher gaped at them, open mouthed.

Serenity quickly picked a little boy, the rest of the class 'Awwwing' and allowing their hands to flop down.

"Mrs. Queen-Lady, Ma'am, do you like your job?" he asked shyly, withdrawing a giggle from the 'Queen-Lady'.

"Yes, I do," she replied, bending over to become eye level with the little boy. "It's a wonderful thing that I can protect this planet for all of you, so that you can be safe no matter where you go."

The second she had finished speaking, twenty nine hands shot up again. Endymion smiled warmly at his wife, wondering what they were going to ask her next. She pointed at a little girl who surprisingly stood up and faced him.

"Mr. King Endymion, Sir," she began. Endymion stood straight, preparing himself for the answer he would give her about whatever tiny question she was about to ask him. This was going to be _so_ easy.

"There have been recent reports on the news about the up-coming threats that the planet Nemesis keeps sending to Earth. It is rumored that they have an incredibly powerful army that can even rival the powers of the Sailor Senshi themselves. If they were to attack, is there any kind of army that has the chance to defeat them, or would the Earth inevitably fall to the planet's demands?"

What the hell? He stared down at the little girl in shock, ignoring Serenity's laughter from his side. Why on Earth did he get all the hard questions? This girl could have been one of the vultur—reporters that he faced weekly in the press conferences he attended.

Clearing his throat, Endymion spoke smoothly, "If Nemesis were to attack, which they don't seem to be planning on at the moment, the Earth would undoubtedly win with our skilled armies and the Sailor Senshi on our side. Not to mention, we have to Silver and Golden Crystals on hand should we have to use them."

Chibi-Usa gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up from the back row, which Serenity greeted with a tiny wave. Twenty eight hands shot up again, and Endymion was determined to pick a child who looked a bit more..._dull_ than the rest. He quickly picked a little boy who was sitting right near his feet, causing him to crane his neck all the way down to stare into his eyes.

The little boy looked innocently back up at him. "Why's your hair purple?"

God Dammit.

* * *

This one was probably one of my favorites...well, most of week 5's drabbles aremy favorites because I just guess I was in a comedic mood when I wrote them.

Hope you all liked it. Please leave a review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	33. 5e: Result

Well, sorry for the delays on this one. This week was probably the _worst_I've had all year, and I had no time to post anything. I still have a couple of things to do with the revised chapter 2 of Standing Aside before I can have it edited and posted, but rest assured, I expect to be completely caught up with all the chapters that are currently out by the end of Christmas break. I'm glad you're back, too, shana elmsford, because now I don't have to cry anymore, hehe. And thank you, Red-Elephant for answering my question!

I can't believe there are only two more chapters left to this! Gasp!

I haven't really got much more to say...as always, thank you to the reviewers!

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

5e) Result

by sakanascales876

* * *

Mamoru had known from the moment that he stepped into the club that he shouldn't have let Usagi go off on her own. Now, as he drove back to their apartment, she was completely drunk, slumping over in her seat towards him and fumbling with the buttons on his shirt.

"I never told you this, Mamo-chan," she slurred, gazing blankly into his eyes. "But I just can't k-keep it to myself anymore."

His eyebrow rose with interest as he stole a glance at his wife. This could be an excellent opportunity to get some secrets out of her, like where his chocolate stash had gotten off to. He pulled an arm from the steering wheel and rubbed her upper arm soothingly, egging her to continue.

"It's just…just this…you've always been so good at it," she drawled, poking a finger in his chest almost accusingly.

He feigned innocence. This conversation was boosting his ego off the charts. "What am I good at, Usako?"

"Y-You always do the laundry so well…my clothes are always so nice…they smell good…" she said without hesitation, absentmindedly plucking on the sleeve of his shirt.

Mamoru almost hit the brakes. Was that supposed to make him feel good about himself? Frustrated, he choked, "Is there anything else?"

She jumped as they pulled into the apartment garage. "No, nothing I can think of."

He was trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. "Are you sure there isn't _anything_ else that I'm completely awesome at that could be mentioned?"

When he didn't get a reply he looked down to see her asleep, a wet little trail of drool on the front of his shirt. He angrily parked and shut off the car, slamming his head on the steering wheel and ignoring the constant blare of the horn.

* * *

Short, I know...the next one's longer but a bit stranger...

Please review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	34. 5f: Frog

Sorry for the wait, guys! I don't have a lot of time to post this, but thank you to all the reviewers! And I have to remind you, this was one of the ones done at around three in the morning and it was one of the most difficult themes to write.

Enjoy if you can...

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel**

5f) Frog

by sakanascales876

* * *

"Motoki-onii-san, I'm going vegan."

Mamoru nearly dropped his cup of coffee, and Motoki actually spit his out. With shock, Motoki gawked at Usagi who had her arms crossed resolutely over her chest. "Usa-chan, you wouldn't just be giving up meat, but ice cream and-,"

"I know," she mumbled. "But I will not live with myself another day if I contribute to the cause of slaying innocent animals just for food and fun."

"I give it an hour."

Usagi quickly rounded on Mamoru with fierce determination. "I'm serious, Mamoru-baka!"

He rolled his eyes. "You could not live without meat, Odango. It's in your nature to be a pig."

"I can eat salad," she sniffed, taking a slow taste of her _water._

"Okay, good luck with that," Mamoru said sardonically. "The day you finish a complete plate of salad is the day I sprout a scaly tail and dance like an Irish-man."

Ignoring him, she turned back to Motoki. "It's just not fair, Motoki-onii-san! They're going to dissect Harvey the frog at school tomorrow but I can't just let them kill the poor little guy!"

"There's not really much you can do about that, Usa-chan," Motoki said a bit sheepishly. "But is that why you're going vegetarian all of a sudden?"

"_Vegan, _Motoki. I'm going to bust him out of there," she exclaimed. "And then I'm going to release him in the pond!"

"Isn't the science room on the second floor?" Motoki asked.

"How'd you know that?"

"I used to go there."

Usagi slumped into her chair, dejectedly pushing her water away. "I'll never get him out."

The two men began exchanging nervous looks as tears welled up in Usagi's eyes. A brilliant thought struck Mamoru.

"I could get you in there," he volunteered. "It wouldn't be that hard to boost you up."

He nearly fell out of the booth when she glomped onto his arm chanting, "Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" into his ear. As the two of them hurried out, Mamoru decided to ignore the suspicious glance that Motoki threw at him as they were out the door.

…

Usagi grunted as she went through the window and landed on the floor, Mamoru hopping in soon after. The classroom was incredible dark aside from the one open window, and the two of them hastened to find a light switch. He was glad that it was dark otherwise she would've seen the blush on his face. There had actually been an ulterior motive for him helping her through the window, especially since the short skirt she was wearing gave him a pretty nice view.

They both fumbled through the darkness.

"Ew! EW! EW! What is that? It's a bug!" Usagi shrieked.

Splat!

Mamoru flicked on the light switch and hurried over to a tearing Usagi, her foot planted firmly on the ground. He looked down in disgust to see green and red all over the floor and the heel of her shoe.

"I think you found Harvey," Mamoru breathed, his eyes glued to the dead frog on the floor.

Usagi didn't speak, but merely lifted her foot off the carcass and limped over to the window, beckoning Mamoru to follow. Concerned, he placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, clambering out the window and reaching up to hoist her down.

She shook her head. "I just want a cheese burger."

* * *

I hope you guys liked it!

Please review!

-Fishyscales876 ;)


	35. 5g: Element

Mamoru awoke, sweating and alone. It took him nearly a minute for his eyes to focus on the dim, green lights. But it only took him a second to feel the pain. Sharp, deep points of metal were penetrating his ankles that were connected to two large manacles with cinder blocks chained to the end of them. A short intake of breath across the room startled him, and his blurry eyes met a pair of bright blue ones.

"Usa?" he croaked, but was unable to receive an answer when three stage lights flickered on. One shining on Usagi, who was chained to the floor by a collar around her neck, one on another corner that he hadn't yet looked upon to see what was residing there, and one on him.

A door slid open, and to both of their confusion, a creepy looking puppet on a tricycle rolled out.

"Hello, Mamoru. Let's play a game," it said in a rasping voice. "In one corner is your beloved girlfriend, and in another, your chocolate stash wrapped up in your green jacket with two packets of coffee in each pocket. Now, in sixty seconds, the ceilings over each of their heads are going to collapse, crushing them. But, you have an opportunity to save one. If you direct your attention to the back wall, there are three keys hanging there. The one in the middle will release the bonds on your ankles, although you need to pull the spikes out yourself. The one on the far left will allow you to retrieve your jacket and chocolates, and the one on the far right will release your girlfriend. The decision is yours. Begin."

The clock started counting down as Mamoru painfully began to drag himself over to the wall. The spikes were practically splintering his bone, and when he finally reached the key in the middle, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Unlocking his feet, he managed to stand on wobbling knees, allowing his calves to support his weight more than his feet. Then he made his choice.

"MAMO-CHAN!"

"Coming...coming..." he said with a sigh, turning around and dragging himself away from the key on the left.

* * *

I went to see Saw 3D and this is what happened...my God.

Whoa...it's the last one. I can't believe it. First off, thank you to all the reviewers, which I've got a little after post to add in for you guys. Secondly, now I have ultimate free time to work on Standing Aside!

Yeah!

One last thing. I read an awesome story recently and I want to recommend it to you. It's called "Freefalling," by Sailor Raspberry, and it is now currently my favorite Sailor Moon fanfic out there so far. It's well written, and you'll love the characters, so check it out!

Now, hope you guys enjoy this one...the last one...

* * *

**Bottom of the Barrel  
**

5g) Element

by sakanascales876

* * *

Mamoru often took advantage of his powers. Being connected to the Earth was probably the coolest thing ever. He could travel by wind, make horrible warm water cold, shake the ground a bit when he wanted to freak someone out, and he could even mess around with people's dreams; it was awesome.

He especially liked to travel through wind because Usagi always liked it. Half the time when they were together she'd always ask him to take them somewhere through it. She said she felt like she was on a roller coaster and it got rid of headaches pretty well.

She'd been asking him for some time to take her to the top of Eiffel Tower, but he'd always been nervous about appearing at the top of an international landmark. But tonight, her pleading had finally become too much, for the next thing he knew they were both overlooking the city of Paris. Usagi clung to him, pointing out almost every single rooftop in the area, gawking appreciatively at all the night lights about. Mamoru smiled down at her. It had taken a lot of energy, but he managed. They'd have to wait for a little bit before returning to Tokyo because it'd take at least a couple of hours before he had enough strength to return.

A loud crack resounded through the air, echoing around the city like a gun-shot. Mamoru and Usagi turned at the presence from behind, a familiar aura surrounding them. He grunted when he was met by a firm fist in the stomach, nearly knocking him over.

"I know it's hard for you to keep it in your pants, Chiba, but quit using the wind to travel places! You're not the only one that controls it and I swear to God you're giving me a headache!"

With that, Haruka stormed away, disappearing with a gust of wind.

* * *

And thus, I conclude my first anniversary challenge. Hooray! Thanks for sticking to it until the end!

Please review!

-Fishyscales ;)


	36. Thank you!

Alright, peoples! Let's get cracking! I have a lot of thanks you's to state.

To my reviewers:

**StarryNight101**

**shana elmsford**

**Henna Ryans**

**SerenaDarienforeverJune30**

**Red-Elephant**

**Eva C**

**mangamania**

**Jenbunny**

**bin82501**

**James Birdsong**

**Anonymous (chapter 17)**

**Serandi82**

**sm fan**

**Pepel**

**tryntee13**

**justa reader**

**Totallycourts**

**Forest Sentry Koneji**

**silvermermaidprincesskerry**

**ducky-duck**

**Tracer Fallon**

**SailorMoonLvr**

**CharmedSerenity3**

**Mimi the Popo**

**Naomi Darkness**

**wingedwolf1**

THANK YOU ALL! If I missed anybody, please tell me so I can fix it. You guys are so amazing, and the favorite-rs and the story alert-ers, too. I just can't believe I finally finished posting this thing…took long enough, right?

I haven't really got a lot of time left now, because I want to get all my work done before my brother comes in from New Orleans, but just a quick update.

Standing Aside _will_ be caught up to speed by the time Holiday break ends, and if it isn't, I give each and every one of you permission to pimp slap me across the face because I'll have deserved it for playing with my new chef's knives instead of working.

But for now, see ya! Happy Holidays everybody!


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